The Day The Music Died
by Attack.On.Waffles
Summary: deanxoc high school story where the boys are staying with bobby while dean finishes his last year of high school. preseries.
1. Chapter 1

**The Day The Music Died**

 **DISCLAIMER: I OWN NOTHING. AT ALL. ALL RIGHTS GO TO CW SUPERNATURAL.**

 **A/N: So this is my very first fanfiction ever, and I would really, really appriciate any help and reviews, just please try to be nice. Anyway, I decided that I wanted to make a DeanxOc high school story.**

 **Chapter One  
**

It was the first day of school- Dean And Sam had moved in with Bobby for the year while John hunted around. After a fight with Sam, it had been decided that the boys could stay in one place for one year, and since Dean had to finish high school, he would finish his last year here. Then, all hunting, for the rest of his life.

Dean, who would be turning eighteen in a few months was fine with looking after his baby (14 year old) brother for a few months. They wouldn't really be alone- Bobby was always close. Maybe… maybe this would be the year that Sam managed to make an actual friend. With their lifestyle, Dean knew, keeping in touch with someone else was near impossible- especially if one was avoiding leaving a paper trail behind, and even more so with somebody like John constantly on top of them. This just might be Sam's chance… or _his_. Dean was scared to hope. Whenever you let yourself hope, you were practically asking- no _begging_ the universe to bitch-slap you across the face and kick you when you were down. Because that was always what happened. and it was never worth it. Ever.

-666-

"Hey, Sam. You excited for today? We're gonna spend a whole _year_ here."

"Yeah, Dean. You might actually have to _study_. Imagine that." Sam grinned. He knew that his brother could easily get straight a's. Even if he didn't really apply himself. If only his brother even attended class. At least three times a week...

Dean rolled his eyes at his little brother, thinking the same thing. Maybe he _would_ try this year, if just a little….

"C'mon, Dean. we gotta go now. You're drivin'."

Dean's grin exploded into a giddy smile- he'd get the Impala entirely to himself. For a whole _year_.

"Yeah. Okay." He smiled, his excitement growing quickly, "C'mon."

"I'll be right there. I'm just gonna grab my jacket."

"Sure." Dean reached for the security and comfort of his familiar leather jacket, trying to chase away the last lingering strands of doubt and anxiety in his gut. He'd better not fuck up- he'd be staying here for awhile and didn't want to make it worse than it would have to be. He sighed, shoving all the worry down where he couldn't see it. Down to where it felt like it had gone away.

-666-

Sam knew something was up. Dean, to his credit, was doing a decent job hiding it. He was blasting the radio and speeding at least twenty miles over the speed limit, same as usual. But he wasn't singing along or dancing in his seat, or even humming. Not even a little tapping on the steering wheel. Sam knew better than to ask about it- his brother liked to deal with his feelings the same way their dad did- shove everything down, bottle it up, until it exploded- an uncontrollable wall of fury and pain and horror. Dean was better at channeling his anger and fear into hunting. Their dad was another story. Dean tried not to let hunting trickle into their personal life- for Sam's sake- but it was hard, because these days, hunting _was_ their life.

Sam had figured out long ago to be subtle about letting his brother know when he could tell something was up, but not tell him point-blank. He'd try to help Dean out in any way he could. Though it wasn't easy, he supported his older brother. Sam knew he irritated the _hell_ out of John, but nothing he seemed to try did anything but make John angry or frustrated. Sam just never understood- he got all a's, was a good hunter (all things considered- he was fourteen ), and tried his best not to be insubordinate. It was hard, though, with John's constant disapproval. What was the point of being unhappy and getting in trouble when you could just be happy and yourself, and be just as well off?

"What's up?" Dean asked, moving his eyes from the road to meet Sam's, "You haven't said a word since we got on the road- you've just been sitting there, looking out the window, all lost in thought."

"Nothing, I'm just tired. A little nervous, I guess, but I always am on the first day."

"Yeah, I hear you. I just worry."

"I know you do, Dean, and I totally get it- you're my brother, and my dad, and my mom, because, let's face it, our real dad's pretty shitty at doing anything except throwing us and himself in the face of death."

"Yeah… But all those people we save, they get to live a life now because of us. It almost makes it worth it, doesn't it?" Dean said, with an expression that made it seem as if he were trying to convince himself more than anything.

"I guess…"

They lapsed into a comfortable silence, Dean thinking, and Sam trying _not_ to think. Ten minutes later, Dean taped his brother on the shoulder, "We're here."

Sam took a deep breath and smiled, "See you at 4,"

"What? I thought classes ended at three."

"They do. I'm staying after in the library to study. You can hang out here or go home."

"I'll stay here."

"Really? That's awesome."

"Get to class," Dean said, shoving his brother.

"You too."

"Yeah, yeah. And Sam?"

"Yeah?"

"Anybody gives you trouble, you kick their ass, or I'll have to do it for you."

"You know I will," said Sam, not really psyched to beat end even the meanest asshole up. His brother was the violence-prone one and would have no problem beating up a police officer with their own gun for Sam's sake. But Sam was a different story.

"See you."

"Yep."

And with that, both brothers left for their classes.

Tbc


	2. Chapter 2

**Chapter Deux**

Dean arrived in homeroom right on time- a first for him, and had all his books with him- yet another first. He sat down in a random seat near the back of the room but not in the last row. He was slouching a bit, bent over a copy of Dickens' _A Tale Of Two Cities_. He knew Sam would laugh, but he actually enjoyed this book, and could quote large passages of it. He liked to pretend to be scornful of learning and books that didn't have to do with killing and hunting, but the truth was that even John's little soldier craved normalcy once and awhile, and he found it in books. Novels. And, of course music.

He could play, too, and had a decent voice. He'd never said anything to John of course, but he wasn't _always_ in the janitor's closet when he skipped class.

"Hey, book boy, what're you doing in my seat?" Asked a gruff voice. Dean finished his page and flipped to the next as if he hadn't heard. "Yo, loser, I'm talking to you." Dean continued reading. "Hey. Leather jacket. Yo." Dean looked up unhurriedly, scanning the boy before him. He was clearly a football player, as were the two jersey-clad cronies behind him.

Dean raises an eyebrow, "Can I help you?"

"Yeah. You can get the hell out of my seat."

There was a girl beside him, blonde, blue eyes, a cheerleader, and probably his girlfriend. She said, "Jack, I don't think-"

"Shut up, Marie Lou." She flinched

"You know, I don't think I will." At this point, there were several heads turned towards them, looking at Dean, sizing him up, comparing him to the jock.

"Excuse me?"

"You're excused," Said Dean, looking at his book again, "This wasn't that important anyway. We can pick this up later."

"Look, book boy-"

"Are you still here?" Dean said, feigning surprise

"Why you-"

Dean stood up to his full height, so he was about an inch taller than Jack, "I don't wanna make a scene, _Jack,_ but We can do this later or I can squish you to a grease spot now." By now, everybody was looking at them, and several mouths were agape with shock. Apparently nobody talked to Jack like this, but Dean talked to anybody how he pleased. It was time for this school to learn possibly the most crucial lesson that they'd learn here: _nobody_ fucked with Dean Winchester. Or else. And Jack was about to be an example of "or else".

"Twenty minutes after the last bell. Come alone." Jack snarled, trying to hide it,but he was clearly agitated

"I'll be there." The temperature in the room dropped twenty about degrees. Dean bared his teeth, letting his eyes go cold, and he saw a spark in the other boy's eye. Fear. That just made Dean's smile grew.

-666-

Dean was walking to third period- science- and he had stopped by his locker to grab a few books. He shut it and almost jumped as he saw a _face_ where the door of his locker had been.

"Hi," She said. It was Marie Lou- Jack's girlfriend- but Dean didn't feel like flirting. He was just tired.

"Yes?" He dragged his hand down his face and rubbed his eyes, taking a deep breath and shoving the books in his bag.

"Look, about Jack, I'm really sorry, he's not usually like that. The past few months, he's been acting strange, and I don't know what's gotten into him." She was wringing her hands nervously and looked at him, "Do us… Do yourself a favor and don't show up. He's not coming alone. Or unarmed."

Dean grinned- he would have felt bad about taking Jack out alone, "At least I'll have some fun now."

Marie Lou looked scared, "You don't know Jack…"

Dean bared his teeth, "No, sweetheart, you're Jack doesn't know _me_." He walked away to Science. He shook his head, _something_ was off- he never would have acted like this- waiting until later rather than beating him to a pulp right away, first off. Second, he would never have been so brisk with an attractive girl, and third, he would never have even put any books in his locker, or his bag, or in class, or, god forbid, _be caught reading Dickens in public_. He shook his head. He must be tired. Or high. Or something.

-666-

Dean was trying to shake it off before he got to his next class- history. He took a deep breath as he walked through the hallways, turning a corner to see a girl with straight blonde hair pulled into a ponytail and glasses get tripped by a girl wearing a skirt so pink it hurt his eyes, and so short it was practically a headband. She laughed with her friends at the girl in glasses before stalking off in pink, bedazzled stilettos.

Dean was about to help her up when another girl beat him to it. She bent down and piled the other girl's books neatly and helped her up.

"There you go," Said the girl, "I'll see you later?"

"Yeah," Said the blondie with glasses, "I hope so." They smiled at eachother, and Dean turned around and kept walking. Girls were wierd, he decided. They were all nice and friendly when people were watching, but the moment people turned their back, girls got vicious.

There were always exceptions to a rule, though. And he thought he'd just found it.

-666-

After hours of barely staying awake in class, Dean was on his way to the cafeteria. According to Sam, who he'd texted between classes, There was a soft serve machine. And pie. Dean smiled, thinking of pie. He walked in, and sat down alone in a corner of the room. He had a bit of a headache and wasn't in the mood to talk to anybody. He grabbed a hoodie out of his bag and slipped it on, pulling the hood over his head and leaning back in his chair, watching everybody else in the room.

People sat at different tables; the geeks, the nerds, the jocks, the plastics, the band kids, the losers, the stoners and gangbangers, the skaters, and the goth kids.

He found himself looking for the girl from before, and saw her walk in with the other girl from before. Glasses looked at the girl with dark hair and smiled. The dark-haired girl cast a look at the jock table, who'd all stopped talking and yelling and burping to glare at her. Dean recognized the look she gave them immediately. It wasn't anger or fear, but more like she was analyzing them carefully.

Like she was picturing the easiest way to beat the shit out of them before anybody even noticed. They looked away, and she moved on. She seemed friendly with all the other groups, though, except for the plastics, the girls at every school, everywhere, who thought they were above everybody and could do anybody or anything they wanted. The type of girls Dean usually fooled around with- they weren't that likeable, and it was easier to date somebody he wasn't attracted to on an emotional level. It always made skipping town without a word that much easier. At least that was Dean's excuse- practicality. He hardly let himself wonder if it was more that that… if it was a fear of caring for somebody who wasn't family, if he was scared to _love_. He shook his head and sighed, rubbing his eyes. Coffee. He needed coffee.

The dark- haired- girl and Glasses sat down at the table in front of Dean, and he could hear their conversation.

"Hi." Glasses said, "I'm Tessa."

"Hope,"

"Well, thanks for… you know…" Said Tessa

"Yeah, of course. Anybody would have." Hope replied, "So how long have they been doing that?"

"Well… I was new last year, transferred from Nebraska, and basically a few days after I got here."

"Hmm, I've never noticed you before."

"That's because I didn't want anybody to."

"Well, don't worry, I'll show them what happens when they mess with an of _my_ friends." Hope looked pointedly at Tessa, whose eyes had lit up when Hope had said 'friends'. Hope looked kind of scary, Dean decided, and he certainly didn't like the evil look in her eyes. He had no idea what was about to happen but he did know one thing: he was gonna find out.

-666-

Dean stuck around and watched both of them all through lunch, mostly out of curiosity. Hope didn't do much talking, she sat and watched Tessa, listening to her, hanging on her every word with interest that seemed genuine. Once and awhile, she'd reply to a question, but she avoided talking about herself.

Near the end, though, Hope looked at the clock. She stood up and whispered something in Tessa's ear, who nodded. Hope walked over to the soft serve machine and filled up two cones, one in each hand. She walked over to the table where the plastics were sitting and sashayed up behind the girl who had tripped Tessa earlier.

Everybody stopped talking and laughing at once. Hope smiles maliciously and as the girl turned slowly, Hope turned the cones upside -down and squashed them on top of the other girl's head. Everybody in the cafeteria hat stopped talking.

"Oops. Sorry, Mel. Looks like I _tripped_." She turned on her heel and walked back to Tessa, eyes from every table watching her in admiration, fear, some in anger.

Dean decided he liked this girl just fine.

-666-

Dean's Science teacher was a large woman with black hair tied tightly up in a bun and a sweet disposition. Dean had to physically bite his tongue to withhold any and all snarky remarks. "Class, we have a new student today. Dean Winchester." She smiled sweetly at him, "Please stand, sweetheart."

He did. He was wearing ripped jeans and a black Pearl Jam tee with his leather jacket- the brown one he'd gotten from John. "Hey," He said, then sat back down. He noticed several of the girls giving him appreciative glances, most of them with their boyfriend's arm wrapped around their shoulder. He grinned back, causing the boys to glare at him.

"All right, Dean, would you like to tell us anything about yourself?"

"No, ma'am."

She seemed taken aback by this, "And why not?"

"Nothing worth telling."

"I'm sure-"

"Look, can we just move on?" He practically snarled. Great. He'd already lost his cool.

"I-I sure. Yes, so let's get into groups of two. Whoever is in your group will be your lab partner for the rest of this year."

Dean sighed, he'd just get whoever was left out, just like usual. He didn't want the same girl all year, _that_ would be annoying. Gods forbid, she decided they were a _thing_ and decided to throw a fit when she found out that he was seeing someone else between classes.

"Hey, I guess we're together." He turned around to see the girl from earlier. Hope. She was clad in eyeliner and ripped (practically shredded) black skinny jeans and had a Styx shirt on. She had blue eyes- electric blue- and a red streak in her hair, which was pulled back in a messy bun. Not quite what he was expecting, but at least she didn't look likely to throw herself at him. He didn't feel like she was the type.

"Oh." Was all he could say

"My name's Hope."

"Dean." He held out his hand, "Dean Winchester. A pleasure."

She wrinkled her nose in distaste, not offering her hand in return, "For you maybe."

"It appears my reputation proceeds me." he said, amused

"Yeah. As a slutty, womanizing douche."

"Ooh, the dove has teeth does it?"

"Bite me, Jackass."

"Oh, I'd be happy to." He looked at her through his lashes

That was how Science went- Dean pushing Hope's buttons and her trying to shove him away, get him to shut up. When the bell rang, and they went their separate ways, they smiled at eachother once, and Dean decided she wasn't so bad. Dean found himself looking forward to tomorrow.

-666-

Dean had a free period after lunch and his social ec teacher was MIA, so he didn't have anything to do for the rest of the day. He decided to walk to the music room. On his way across the campus, he saw Hope. She was facing a wall, so Dean couldn't tell who she was looking at, but she was giving them a glare that sent shivers down his spine. She was about a foot from a wall herself, and she was backing up, so when she backed into it, her eyes went wide. Dean caught a glimpse of blue football jerseys. He ran to the wall she was facing and scaled it quickly. He looked down at the scene before him: three football players- linebackers- had her trapped at that wall. She didn't see him, but he saw her take off her backpack and drop into a fighting stance as if it came naturally to her. Apparently she wasn't all talk.

"I told you she wouldn't make this easy," One meathead said, grinning at his friends.

"Look, it's nothing personal," one said, " but after what you did to Zephyr-"

"What _I_ did to _him_?" Hope glared at her attackers, "You three… I'm impressed. You've officially achieved a level of idiocy that I had not previously thought possible." She rolled her eyes., "Plus, he deserved it."

The guy in front, Kevin snarled and took another step toward her, "You bitch-"

Hope snapped- Dean saw it in her eyes, she leaped for the three of them, anger in her eyes. She moved faster than anything Dean had ever seen, snapping a kick at Kevin's gut and punching someone else in the face before Kevin had hit the ground. When she was done, Dean just sat there, watched her get her stuff and walk away, all three varsity football players on the ground moaning.

"I- Imma get you… Better… Watch your back…" Kevin groaned

"I'm sure you will." Hope smiled, but it was cold, like she was a statue. She felt no triumph; she was like a robot. She didn't seem to care that there were real people at her feet, or that they were bleeding because of her. "For some reason, I don't feel too threatened, Kevin. Maybe because _you're_ on the floor? Maybe because _I_ put you there. In a matter of seconds, even though it was three to one." She kicked him in the side. Hard, too. Dean winced.

Quietly, so only Dean heard, as she was walking away, "Maybe because I just don't care anymore."

When she was gone, Dean slid down the wall, eager to get to the music room. He'd only ever seen one person fight like that, with no regard for anyone else; their opponent or their own safety- an immovable wall of cold fury and with no compassion or mercy: Himself.

-666-

When Dean got to the music room at last, he grabbed an acoustic, but didn't play anything. He didn't want to… all he could think about was Hope, her face when she was fighting, how she acted after, and the look in her eyes. It haunted him, and he had no idea why; his mother had died before him, he'd killed things most _adults_ would scream and run away from, and he'd seen things, awful things, but for some reason, _this_ stuck in his mind. She reminded him… of himself. It scared him, how that look she had- it was how _he_ felt, and he thought, all those times Sammy saw him after a fight, the chaotic calm feeling that washed over him in the middle of action- what did Sam see? A monster?

 _That's what I am,_ Dean thought, _I'm a monster. A killer._ He closed his eyes, quietly strumming the strings.

-666-

Hope didn't feel like attending class after the fight. She had heard rumors that there was going to be a fight after school, and Jack was going to be there. She wasn't sure she wanted to go- She may have just ruined the team's chances of going anywhere with the season. If that were the case, she'd be public enemy no. 1…

 _What else is new?_ She thought bitterly, and found herself unwinding her earbuds.

 _Music,_ she thought, _music always helps._ Hope had always liked music. She was a perpetually angry person- she hated the world, her life, herself. Music helped to numb the pain. She shivered, taking a deep breath and sitting on the bleachers, facing the football field. She didn't remember getting here, but she didn't care. She turned her music up at loud as she could, trying to numb everything. She put her head on her arms, which she had crossed over her knees. Hope closed her eyes, letting the music wash over her.

-666-

Dean was driving home when he remembered the fight. He still had two hours, he realized, turning the Impala around and driving back to school. Maybe he'd walk around a bit, he thought, as he pulled into a parking space next to a beat- up station wagon. He got out and started walking toward the athletic field. He was about ten minutes into his walk when it started to rain.

 _What the hell_ , he thought, not even trying to cover himself up, _I'm gonna get wet later anyway._ He shivered, walking toward the bleachers briskly. There was already somebody there, he noticed, surprised. A small-looking, black-clad figure with their knees pulled to their chest. As he got closer Dean realized it was a girl. A familiar one…

...Hope? He looked closer, confirming it, but not knowing what to do.

Was he… intimidated by her? Maybe… But he was Dean fucking Winchester, he wasn't supposed to be scared of anything, _especially_ a girl. And a very pretty one at that. Oh, well. He found himself taking a few tentative steps forward, toward her, and sitting down next to her.

"Hope? Are you okay?"

No reaction.

"Hope?"

Nothing. Her shoulders were shaking, but he couldn't hear her over the sound of the rain anyway. She was crying, he realized. What was he supposed to do with a crying girl? He decided to put his arm around her and see what happened. He put his arm around her and leaned in. Hopefully, she wouldn't beat the shit out of him.

-666-

Hope was freezing cold. She'd shoved her phone somewhere deep in her pockets where it would stay dry. She shivered a little. Suddenly, she felt somebody sit next to her. She tensed, but then they put their arm around her shoulders.

"God, you're cold."...Who… Dean?!

She sniffled, "D-dean? 'S that you?"

"Yeah."

"What're you doin' here?"

"Sitting next to you, obviously."

"What do you want?" She asked suspiciously, wiping her face and shivering again

"Well, you're in no condition to get home by yourself, and even though we've got like ninety minutes left of actual classes, I'm going to take a guess and say you're not planning to go to any."

"Yeah, I guess…"

"Look, like I said, you look like shit-"

She rolled her eyes, getting up, "I'm fine."

"No." Dean grabbed her arm, "Please, just wait."

"Okay." She shivered violently again.

"Come here." Dean said, taking his jacket off, "You can come with me."

"What? Why do you care?" She narrowed her eyes

Dean shrugged, "Human decency." He grinned at her, putting his leather jacket over her shoulders.

"Thank you." She said, and Dean thought maybe she meant it.

"It's fine." Dean said. What he didn't say was that he had no _idea_ why he was doing it. There was no reason. No apparent one, anyway. He hardly knew her at all. What he didn't say was that he _really_ had no idea why he gave a shit what happened to her. Had no idea why he cared what she was feeling. It was weird. The only time he'd ever ever sort of felt anything _like_ this was for Sam.

This was a little different, though. Scarier. Definitely not the same… It was like, like how he felt for his little brother, but there was something else there, too. Something he couldn't quite put his finger on. He shook his head, getting rid of the thoughts, "How does coffee sound to you?"

"Awesome." She smiled at him, making his insides flip around, "Coffee sounds awesome."

Tbc

 **A/N: So I hope it's okay-ish so far... So. Anyone like it? I may not update for several days because I have school and stuff... Reviews would be amazing, thanks!**

 **(^_^)**


	3. Chapter 3

**Chapter Tre**

Hope and Dean had been sitting in Java Jones, the local coffee shop. They'd been talking. Well, they'd tried. It was hard at first, neither wanting to talk about their personal lives, but they did have some common ground; Music, Books, things like that. It turned out Hope really wasn't that bad. He almost looked forward to seeing her the next day at school. They could joke around, jostle each other, basically just playful banter. Neither was able to talk about anything too sensitive- they were the same in that respect. Dean enjoyed her company, but he wasn't sure where he wanted to go with it- their relationship. He had found something good here- Friendship. He hardly let himself hope it could turn into anything more.

Hope kept her heart in a carefully locked case, not letting anything squeeze in. Dean realized he did the exact same thing. He hated cutting people off, but he never would have to if he never made any friends. It made it easier to live this kind of life- knowingly coexisting with the supernatural, and fighting the evil. Constantly playing the role of hunter and hunted simultaneously. He'd never tell anyone- it just made it worse.

Dean looked at his watch, and winced- he had to go back to school for the fight. He figured he would have to drag Hope with him- he didn't have enough time to make it anywhere other than straight to school.

Dean looked out the window, resting his head on his hand. It had stopped raining, but there were still dark spots on the sidewalk where puddles used to be. There were still clouds in the sky, but the sun was poking through, and Dean could see the faint beginnings of a rainbow in the sky. His eyes wandered to Hope's face.

She wasn't just pretty, he decided, she was beautiful unlike any girl he'd ever seen. All of her eyeliner had smudged and most had washed away, making her blue eyes look huge. Her hair had mostly dried, but it was messy from her running her hands through it. Her eyes were red from crying, and she still looked pretty pitiful, but Dean didn't care- he thought she still looked amazing. Not that he'd ever tell her that, of course.

"So." She said, snapping her eyes from the table and looking at Dean, who realizing that he was staring, looked away quickly, and hoped she couldn't see the blush on his face, "What do we do?"

"I…" He grimaced, "We need to go back to school. I won't be long, but I want you to stay in the car, okay?"

"Why?"

"I…" He studied the label on his styrofoam cup, studiously not meeting her eyes.

She looked at him, studying him, analyzing his face, and her eyes widened, "You... Why you idiot! You're the one fighting Jack today, aren't you?"

He winced, "Yeah, but I'll be okay."

"If you say so, but I don't plan to sit in the car while he gets his ass handed to him."

"Hope?"

"Yeah?"

"I- I gotta tell you something."

"Shoot."

"I… I saw the… altercation you had with Kevin and his entourage of douchebags earlier."

"I know." She shrugged, as if this meant nothing to her.

"What?" Dean was so surprised, he didn't even try to hide it.

"Yeah, I figured. I saw somebody's silhouette on the wall, but the sun was in too bright- I couldn't make out who. Then I saw the way you were acting all of the sudden- not a total asshat for once, so I figured you probably saw."

"Well… I must say I'm impressed- you kicked ass, but I do have one more question for you."

"Shoot."

"What did they mean, 'after what you did to Zephyr?' Whose Zephyr? What did you do?"

She looked like a cornered animal all of the sudden- all wide eyes and fear in her face. She took a deep breath, shoving everything down, "Okay, so me and Zephyr… We dated, junior year. Everything was _beyond_ great… We were going to go to Michigan State together and… And then we were gonna get married." Her voice cracked, "It was great… But then the drinking started. His parents were busy- they didn't even know about his… habit. He… he was an angry drunk." She looked down, not meeting Dean's eyes

"Hope, you don't need to-"

She sniffed, "No, no, it's okay. I'm good. Anyway," She cleared her throat, "He got angry… Sometimes he threw things, sometimes he hit the wall, or a chair, or a door, or… me." She crossed her arms across her stomach, "One particularly bad night, I tried to leave. I just wanted out. But he… He wouldn't let me. He took a knife and tried to… He tried to…" She choked on her words, tears leaking from her eyes, "He said if he couldn't have me, nobody could. I ended out relationship, obviously," She sniffed, "But it hurt. Even after all that, I think I somehow still loved him, the good part of him, that I had fallen in love with. Sometimes I think some part of me still does." She shook her head, "Anyway, I ended up in the hospital. He ended up in prison. By the time he's out, I'll be out of college and old enough not to need to worry about him."

"Yeah." He looked at her again, over the edge of his cup, "I'm sorry. Really."

She looked at him critically, and her eyes turned from angry and confused to sad and… Pitying? Dean hoped not. "You lost someone. Someone important. Didn't you?"

He cleared his throat, suddenly uncomfortable, "Uh, no. Nope. I'm fine. Look," He said, set his coffee down, "I need to go back to school… for… you know," he rubbed the back of his neck in discomfort.

She smiled at him, as if she knew something he didn't, "Yeah. Yeah, let's go." She got up, "And Dean?"

"Yeah?"

"You breathe a word of this to anyone and I swear to god that I will murder you with a plastic spoon."

"And just how do you plan to go about that?" Dean asked, amused and relieved that she was back to normal. That made one of them, at least.

"I'd hate for you to find out," She said, grinning evilly at him, and shoving him playfully.

"Ha. I'd hate that too." He smiled at her and she smiled back. A real smile. He wrapped his arm around her shoulder and they walked out of the coffee shop together.

For the first time in a long time, Dean felt happy… At peace. It was nice, and he liked it. He wished it would last forever, but he knew better. He knew better than to hope, to dream of a life beyond all of this killing and death and constant hatred. He knew better, he told himself, but he knew he was lying. Right from the start, he was lying.

-666-

"Decided to join us, have you?" Sneered Jack as they walked up to him.

"You're early." Dean said cooly. "And you brought friends. You were supposed to come alone." He finished, surveying half of the football team and at least twenty other kids. Jeez, fights must not happen too often, he figured, since there were usually a lot less people at these kinds of things. Oh well. A bigger audience.

"No, _you_ were supposed to come alone." He smiled at them. A sick smile, full of malice, and then his eyes landed on Hope, "Oh, and I see you brought your newest plaything."

Hope smiled flirtatiously, sashaying up to Jack and splaying her hand across his chest, catching Dean of guard. _What? What was she doing? Was everything… The past few hours… Was it a lie?_ But no, Jack looked caught off guard , too. But he quickly steadied himself, wrapping his arm around her waist. Hope didn't waste any time kneeing him between the legs. Hard. Dean grinned but also grimaced in sympathy.

Hope snarled at him, "You dickbag. You should see what I did to three of your linebackers less that three hours ago. They'll be in the hospital for weeks." She kicked him again, though not as hard, "And I'm nobody's _plaything._ "

Several people in the crowd laughed, but stopped when Hope glared at them. She looked at Dean, "They're all yours." She looked at him, "Holler if you need any help, but I think you can take them." She winked at him and pushed him forward gently, "Go get em, Ace."

"Right," Dean said, inhaling deeply and closing his eyes. He shook out his shoulders and looked at Jack through his long eyelashes

There was money being exchanged; people placing bets on the winner. Dean knew He's have to fight them all, but he figured he could figure it out. Just like he suspected, Jack had his cohorts charge at Dean, but stayed back- waiting for them to make it easier on him- to wear Deen down. All it did was warm him up, though. He crouched into a fighting stance and prepared for the oncoming attack.

-666-

(I suck at fight scenes tbh. Im sorry)

Hope saw money pass hands. They were betting against Dean. Frankly her money was on him to win. He was a lot of talk, but the way he moved, the soundlessness of his footsteps and the easy grace of his walk suggested that he had some sort of training in combat. She hoped he was as good as she thought, though.

He crouched in a fighting stance, his eyes teasing and taunting, but not at all nervous. Five guys charged at once, but Dean was way too fast. He sweep-kicked one's feet from under him, making him fall on top of one of his teammates, Then he spun up and elbowed someone behind him without looking. Before Hope even knew what had happened, he was walking to Jack. Dean hadn't even broken a sweat, and had escaped the fight entirely unscathed.

Somebody grabbed Hope from behind and she gasped. They tried to cover her mouth, but Dean heard. He looked over at her and his eyes went cold. He snarled something and whoever it was behind her tensed. She figured it out a few seconds later. _You're next_.

Jack charged, and Hope immediately knew he was outmatched. He swung kicks and punches far more powerful than Dean, but Dean was so much faster. For every time Jack swung one of his bone-shattering punches, Dean slipped behind him and elbowed or kicked or punched him. Hope grinned at everybody's faces; people gaping, grinning, laughing. It was really quite entertaining to watch Dean fight, he moved like water, moving from place to place so fast that it was hard to track him.

Jack, though, got frustrated. He growled, "Enough." Hope saw a flash of silver and gasped for Dean to look out seconds before he whipped around and grabbed Jack's wrist, twisting until a loud _SNAP_ reverberated through the lot and Hope heard the knife clatter to the ground.

She almost smiled, but then she saw the look in his eye. Jack saw it, too, and he looked ready to start pleading for his life in a few seconds.

Dean didn't look angry, no, he looked… _feral_. The look in his eye was that of a predator. Dean,she realised, could have ended this before it had begun. He'd been dragging it out, enjoying it. He grabbed the knife from the ground where it lay next to him. He beckoned Jack forward, "Come on, I won't bite," Dean grinned, but it looked more like he was baring his teeth. He walked toward Jack. Hope heard whispers in the crowd, _He's gonna waste him,_ and, _Jack's dead, man. So dead._

"All right. You win, man, please, just don't kill me. Please." Jack whimpered from the ground, cradling his broken wrist to his chest.

Dean laughed, "Yeah." He jerked his head toward the football players lying on the ground, "Help your friends out and never pick a fight with me again you arrogant piece of shit." With that, he turned and walked toward Hope, "Let her go, unless you want us to have a problem. We don't' want that, now do we?"

The guy snorted uncomfortably, "Right." He rolled his eyes

Dean's eyebrows shot up and he said, "Either you're stupid or really cocky." He leaned in and whispered so that Hope and whispered so that only the three of them could hear: "Let her go or I will kill you. Or I'll just make you wish I had." Dean's voice dripped with malice, and he looked like he'd make good on his promise.

Hope felt her captor's heart speed up, and he released her instantly

"Dean, let's go." She put her hand on his shoulder, "Now."

"Yeah." The look in his eye had faded and he looked more tired than anything now. He put the knife inside his jacket pocket. The two of them walked back to the car and the crowd dispersed. Some went to help Jack, but most just walked off.

"What now?" She asked

"We pick Sam up," He says, "And you go home." She looked at him, and chills ran down her spine at the look in his eyes.

"Who are you?" She asked, seeing the coldness in his face, the stiffness in his expression, the tightness of his shoulders. "Never mind," She chuckled

His head snapped up, "What's so funny?"

"No, it's not _funny,_ per se, it's just that…"

" _What?_ "

She knew how he was feeling. At first, he was cool and uncaring, but there was more than that. He looked angry and frustrated, but beneath all of that, the facade, there was sadness and fear. She knew the look in his eyes. She saw it every morning in the mirror before she put her own mask on, and she hated it. She wanted to save anybody from having to go through anything like that. She was good at reading people, at least in her opinion. She usually knew just what to say, but with Dean, it was a whole different story. SHe figured she'd give it a shot, though. Anything to make him feel better.

"No, it's just, _you._ You confuse the shit out of me, Dean. You're annoying, and have this cool, macho attitude, and then you're kind and supportive, and then you're… This." She snorted.

He shook his head and kept walking, trying to hide his grin, "...Aaaand," Hope continued, "How come you never told me you could do that? Huh? That was awesome! You took them out like it was nothing! There were six of them! And one had a knife!" She grinned when she saw him blushing, it was working. "And the way everybody talks about you, you've got that whole lone wolf James Dean thing going on. Chicks dig that, apparently."

He turned and raised his eyebrows at her, "Really? Do they?" He grinned, it was her turn to blush, "Well… If I'm James Dean… I guess that makes _you_ Audrey Hepburn."

She laughed, "You are _such_ a dork!"

They both cracked up, laughing so hard they were leaning on each other, and had tears in their eyes. Dean took a deep breath, "Okay, okay, we're here." He sniffed, looking at Hope, and they both burst into a new bout of giggles.

-666-

Sam's head snapped up at the sound of laughter from outside the hallway, recognizing Dean's. He had to do a double-take- he hadn't heard Dean laugh in a long time. Not a real laugh. A happy one, like he was genuinely having a good time. Sam smiled. At least his brother was happy.

"Alright, Devin, I gotta go. See you tomorrow." He said, looking at the blond- haired kid wearing large, thick framed glasses and a plaid shirt bent over a textbook that he'd been studying with.

"Yeah… Seeya Sam." He said, not looking up.

"'Kay." Sam grabbed his books and walked away. His brother was in the hallway, leaning against a girl, laughing _with_ her. Which was odd. He didn't seem to be snickering at a mean comment, making fun of anybody, or flirting. He looked like he _was_ going to piss himself, though. He saw Sam and tried to compose himself.

"Sorry." He coughed

Sam rolled his eyes, "Whatever."

"How was your… uh, nerd convention?"

"It's called a _study group_ , Dean. Maybe you could try it sometime… You know, when you're not busy making out with your reflection in the mirror."

Dean's face flushed, "Bitch."

"Jerk."

-666-

Sam sat in the back seat so Hope could sit shotgun. "So do you?" She asked Dean

"Do I what?"

"Make out with your reflection in the mirror?"

"No-"

"Honesty is the best policy, Dean," Sam chided, sniggering

Dean snorted in annoyance, looking at his brother in the rearview mirror, "It was _once_ , okay?! One time!"

Hope cracked up, "Really?" Wow."

Sam laughed, "Yep, I've got it on camera, too."

"I'd like to see that." She laughed, "Maybe next time."

"Why not now?"

"Well, I gotta get home."

"Where do you live?"

"Downtown. East Side." she flushed, as if ashamed.

Dean raised his eyebrows, but said nothing. Downtown wasn't the nicest place. They'd probably be staying there if Dad were with them, but it was enough to leave the two boys together alone in a decently safe hotel, but it was stretching it to leave them downtown. Dean figured he should have guessed, the way she fought, not like a professional, but the way _Dean_ did- like a street fighter. That was most likely where she learned. He sighed, shrugging, he couldn't care less where she was from.

"Cool. We'll drop you off." He grinned, rolling down the windows and chomping on a huge piece of gum, turning the radio up loud. He grinned at Hope, singing along to the song, closing his eyes, which was dangerous on the road, but both kids were too busy laughing to care.

" _Settle back now and raise a toast,_

 _To the young ones, growing old,_

 _All the green lights, long nights-_

 _Drinking 'til I made out with you."_

Dean opened his eyes and pointed at Hope, bobbing his head, inviting her to join, but at the same time serenading her. She rolled her eyes, but joined in,

 _Just sit back, enjoy the show_

 _It's the weekend, no place to go_

 _You're the cherry, I'm a cigarette_

 _Chasing after midnight with you_

 _Don't shut me down now_

 _Just hear me out now_

 _Don't you go and carry on with your life_

 _It was a one night stand 'til I woke up next to you_

 _Don't you go, saying all your goodbyes_

 _I want a one night stand just one more time with you_

 _So give me one more night with you_

 _Give me one more night with you_

 _So take a breath now, you don't have to go_

 _It was a fast night, we can take it slow_

 _There were fist fights, red lights_

 _Running 'til I crashed into you_

 _I got my ass kicked, but you held the ice_

 _I was a train wreck, but you took the ride_

 _Can we stay here, right here?_

 _Nothing else that I wanna do_

 _Don't shut me down now_

 _Just hear me out now_

 _Don't you go and carry on with your life_

 _It was a one night stand 'til I woke up next to you_

 _Don't you go, saying all your goodbyes_

 _I want a one night stand just one more time with you_

 _So give me one more night with you_

 _You say I've pushed my luck_

 _But I can't get enough_

 _If it was just a one time thing_

 _Why are you still here with me?_

 _Don't want a single thing to change_

 _We can mess around for two more days_

 _If it was just a one time thing_

 _Why are you still here with me?_

 _I don't want you to leave_

 _Don't you go and carry on with your life_

 _It was a one night stand 'til I woke up next to you_

 _Don't you go, saying all your goodbyes_

 _I want a one night stand just one more time with you_

 _So give me one more night with you_

 _You say I've pushed my luck_

 _But I can't get enough_

 _If it was just a one time thing_

 _Why are you still here with me?_

 _Don't want a single thing to change_

 _We can mess around for two more days_

 _I want a one night stand just one more time with you_

 _So give me one more night with you._

They sang every song that came on after that, too, until Hope motioned for him to stop. She muted the radio. "We're here. This is good." She got out, walking to the driver's side window, reaching through and grabbing the front of Dean's shirt, pulling him up and kissing him on his forehead. For a minute, his brain shorted out completely, for whatever reason- it was beyond him. Everything seemed to be, in that moment, at least. She pulled away a few seconds later.

"Bye, Dean. And thank you. For everything. See you tomorrow, I hope." She walked away down the street, and Dean fell back in his seat, still unable to form a coherent thought. He stared blankly at the steering wheel, looking at it as if it held the answers to the universe.

Sam burst out laughing once Hope was out of earshot, climbing up next to Dean in the passenger's seat, "What was that, man? Dude she's got you so good."

Dean snapped out of his trance, though still a little stunned. His cheeks turned a deep crimson color and he glared at Sam.

Sam just laughed, "What? Man I never would have guessed. You got it bad for her. She's not your type either."

Dean glared at his brother, "Shut Up, Sam."

Sam looked back at his brother, surprised- his big brother always called him Sammy. Unless he was mad. Sam said, "You really do care about her. She isn't just some makeout-pitstop-between-class-entertainment, is she?"

"No." Dean said quietly, revving the engine and driving, "She's different than any other girl I've met. Ever." He smiled, "She's cool, and she was funny, and she liked me back."

"What girl doesn't?"

Dean shivered, he felt the chick-flick moment coming on and wanted to get it over with as soon as possible.

"No, I mean, she didn't like me for the way I looked or anything… Just I don't know." Dean shrugged, "She liked me _after_ she talked to me, after she saw _me_. My personality."

"Dean, she's your first crush! Your first real crush!" Sam exclaimed

Dean blushed deeper, biting his lip.

"I SHIP IT!" Sam screamed, "YOU TWO ARE MY OTP!"

Dean looked at his brother, shaking his head, "Forever the dork, you are." Jacking up the radio and pressing the gas as hard as he could, he sped off toward their motel.

 **A/N: Okay, I hope it's not too awful... Anyway, it might be another few days until I update... School.** ** _Ughhhh_** **. So, please review, it really does help. Some critisism maybe? Thanks ;) I appriciate it a ton (^_^)**


	4. Chapter 4

**Okay. So I don't know if I mentioned, but I don't even have a beta for this story, so i'm sorry if there's a few kinks that I haven's worked out- like if it's got a choppy story line or if there are grammar errors or whatever. And this is my first fic, so I'm feeling like a bit of a fish out of water right now... Anyway, I hope this is cool.**

 **P.S- thanks to everyone who reviewed, and especially ArtistKurai for all the help- I really really love reviews and follows, cause its really amazing to know someone saw what you did and liked it enough to spend time reviewing/ following. So thank you! I hope you like this next chapter.**

 **Chapter Fourrrrr**

Later, that night, both boys sat on the couch in front of the television eating a microwave dinner and watching some nonsensical show about one thing or another. Dean wasn't really paying attention anyway.

Sam looked at his brother and smiled. He was happy, which was rare these days. Dean, he knew, was in his last year of high school, and it was a bit depressing to know that the end of his even sort of normal life was going to end forever. He had several months to enjoy himself, then hunting. Until he died. Sam shivered, he could never do that. He wanted to keep on with school, through college. He knew his dad would never afford for him to go, so he'd just have to pay for it on his own. Or apply for a scholarship. He frowned at the prospect of leaving Dean with John for years while he was away. Dean admired John. He put his father's life before his own. He wore the same clothes, listened to the same music, talked the same way. He was loyal to a fault. If it ever came to it, Sam knew, Dean would die before seeing anything lay a finger on John.

Contrary to popular belief, Sam didn't just hate John. He loved him more than anybody in the world, second only to Dean. He was the only father Sam would ever have. He did however, get angry at John. Not for forcing Sam and Dean into this lifestyle, this hell if an existence, but because of how John treated Dean. Like a soldier, not a son. It killed Sam to see Dean angry and upset at himself because he felt he was never good enough, John never told him he was, so he wasn't. It was simple logic, right? No. Dean was amazing, awesome. A brilliant strategist, a leader, willing to sacrifice himself for the safety of other people. A fighter, a warrior. He was strong, smart, loyal, kind, and brave.. There was nothing Sam could say, could do, to convince him of these things. So he let Dean protect him, because he knew it made Dean feel like he was worth something, like he was useful, because he could be a big brother. Without it, Dean was nothing but a soldier. He was broken.

Sam hoped that whoever had captured Dean's heart was careful with it. He hoped they knew how precious it was. And he hoped they knew who'd be there to catch Dean when he fell and kill whoever hurt him.

-666-

Dean looked at his little brother, sitting on the couch beside him, his dinner cooling and forgotten. He saw the expression on his brother's face; how his eyebrows were pinched together and he was biting his lip, something he usually did when he was nervous or thinking about something. Dean wasn't sure what it was, but he just hoped that his brother was okay. He hadn't even asked how Sam's day was, something he usually didn't even wait until they were in the car to do.

"Hey," Dean said, wincing, "How was your day today?"

"Good," Said Sam, distractedly, "I gotta go- I'm working on a project and I'm supposed to do some reading."

"Oh, okay." Said Dean, disappointed. His brother usually told him everything about his day to the point where it was almost annoying. But not quite.

"Alright. 'Night, Dean." Sam said, getting up to go read in his room.

"'Night Sammy."

"Night."

-666-

Dean had been quiet all morning- suspiciously so. Sam was wondering if his brother was okay when he hear Dean snort.

"What?" Sam asked

"Uh, um, nothing, I, uh, nothing." Dean said, shoving his phone into his pocket.

"Whatever." Sam rolled his eyes at his big brother.

"Okay… any kind of study group I need to know about?"

"No." Sam hesitated, "Can I go over to Jimmy Fiddler's house after school?"

"Sorry buddy, but unless you ran all the tests…"

"Fine." Sam rolled his eyes, he should have known anyway. "So, uh, what's going on with you and…"

"Hope?" Sam thought he might have imagined it, but he thought his brother's voice was an octave higher when he said her name. Dean cleared his throat, "I have no idea, man. I don't know if I want it to end up being anything, because we're here for a year… I mean, that's enough time for me to actually… you know, care about her. But then we gotta leave."

"Yeah." Sam looked at his brother, "But is she worth it?"

"I… I don't know."

Sam wasn't used to seeing his older brother unsure of anything. It unnerved him a little.

"Okay, we should go," Dean said, "Don't want you late for class."

-666-

Hope was walking through the hall when her phone dinged, alerting her that she had a text message. She looked down at it.

 **Hey, have a nice day. Meet you at lunch? The track field?**

 **-Dean :)**

She replied,

 **Yeah. See you then.** And then, **How'd you get my number, anyway?**

 **-Hope**

He didn't reply except for,

 **;)**

She shook her head, grinning like an idiot.

"Hey."

Hope looked up. It was Tessa. "Hi."

Tessa smiled, "So who's the lucky guy?" She asked, giggling

"Huh?" Hope looked up

Tessa grabbed Hope's phone, and after taking one look at the lock screen, she giggled again, handing Hope's phone back to her, skipping down the hallway, her bond ponytail bouncing behind her.

Hope rolled her eyes, but snorted when she looked down at her phone, it was a picture of Dean, with his whole upper body hanging out of the window, one arm in the air, his other hand on the steering wheel. It looked like they were driving at full speed, too. She shook her head, thinking that Dean was going to end up seriously hurting himself. The text read: **Dean says good morning :) -Sam**

Getting a few stares from the group of skaters across the hall from her, she glared, "What are you lookin' at, huh?"

They scampered away, talking among themselves, once in a while sparing a look in Hope's direction.

"Hmmm." Hope whipped her head around to find three pastel-clad figures behind her.

"Hi." she said, recognizing them immediately as the three girls who had made fun of Tessa the day before.

"You know," Said Brooke, talking to the other girls like Hope wasn't there, "She's rather pretty, and maybe she'd almost be acceptable if she dressed better."

"I think her hair, too…"

"Yeah, and her makeup.." The girls surrounded her, laughing

"Oh, who are we kidding? She'll never be acceptable." Brooke sneered, "Just… Like… Her… Dad."

"No, no!" Said Hope, raising her voice, "You don't get to talk about him like that! You didn't know him!" She bit her lip, "You say another word…"

"And you'll _what_?" Brooke smirked, "Get your dirty Converse all over my new dress? You gonna give me some awful disease just by touching me? You might as well live in the streets. I've heard-"

"Shut up and leave her alone." Came a low voice from behind Brooke. Hope couldn't recognize the voice immediately, but she felt someone grab her arm and pull her away. She didn't care.

"Hey." She looked up into a pair of concerned green eyes, "Hey, are you okay?"

"Yeah." She said, biting her lip, "I'm fine."

"Really?" Dean said, raising his eyebrows, "Because the wound in your lip begs to differ."

Hope ran her tongue across her sore lip, "I'm okay, Dean." She said, her gaze unwavering.

"Okay. Alright, I believe you."

"Good."

He wrapped his arm around her shoulders, "You know you can talk to me, right? About anything, anything at all."

She looked at him with wide eyes, "You really are concerned, aren't you?"

"Why wouldn't I be?"

"Because nobody ever is." She said this with such conviction that he just shook his head, dumbfounded

"No." She looked away, but he grabbed her chin and gently turned her had forward so she had no choice but to look him in the eyes, "I am, okay?"

She clenched her jaw and nodded, "Okay."

Dean looked up and saw Tessa elbowing her way through the crowd toward them. "I'll go now, your friend's here."

"Hey."

"Yeah?"

"How'd you get my number?"

"Um, Tessa. Your friend."

"Dean Winchester, were you _following_ me yesterday?"

"No. I was… observing?" He rubbed the back of his neck uncomfortably

She smiled, but it didn't reach her eyes, "Get to class."

"Okay."

"Okay."

"I'll see you at lunch?"

"Okay."

"I'll come get you."

"Okay."

"I'll see you then."

"Yeah. Yeah you will."

-666-

Dean had a hard time focusing on precalc. Instead, his mind wandered to Hope, and what had happened in the hallway that morning. They'd said something that had really bothered her. Something about her dad.

 _You'll never be acceptable. Just. Like. Your. Dad. You might as well live on the streets._

He winced, shaking his head. He took out his phone. There were several texts. One was from Hope:

 **Can't make it to lunch today. Sorry.**

 **-Hope**

He replied,

 **It's okay. You need a ride home today? Sammy's going with a friend.**

 **-Dean ;)**

His phone chimed a few seconds later:

 **Yeah. Thanks. A ride home sounds great. Thanks, Dean.**

 **-Hope**

He sighed, wishing she'd tell him what was up, but he knew it wouldn't do much good. He knew the face- he did it himself every time he didn't want to think about something, he just shoved it down deep inside himself so he didn't have to see it. It wasn't like he had a choice- if John thought he was weak… Dean shivered.

He _was_ concerned for her… But the look in her eyes… like she didn't believe him. He shook his head, how could she not? Nobody had ever told her before…? Even Dean had Sam, who he knew he could talk to, who he knew would listen, would _care_.. It kept him from going nuts. But she didn't have anyone like that. And why did that _bother_ him so damn much? He sighed, running a hand through his already messy hair, blowing out a frustrated breath.

 _What's wrong with me?_ He asked himself, walking down the hall, _I don't like this feeling at all._

-666-

Hope was having a hard time focusing. She thought about Dean's face as she twirled her pencil around in her hand. She was doodling- well, she was supposed to be taking notes, but she was too busy thinking about Dean. She looked at her sketch. It looked like him. The hair, the mouth, the ears. And his eyes. She was drawing his face when he'd made her look him in the eyes, when he'd told her that _he cared_.

Hope sighed, closing her notebook. She had art next period, and she was supposed to turn in a portrait sketch. This would have to do. SHe laid her head down on her arms and waited for the bell to ring.

-666-

Dean saw Hope before she saw him- he was headed to room 206 for art class… evidently where she was headed, too. He smiled. Maybe today would be okay.

"Hi."

Hope spun around, looking at Dean. "Hey."

"Look, about today…"

"No. Stop. It's okay. I'm okay. It doesn't matter."

"Right. Okay."

"Dean?"

"Yeah?" He looked up at her

"Do you wanna hang out sometime? Maybe today, after school…?"

It took him a few minutes to respond, but then he smiled, "Yeah. Sure."

They sat down in the back of the classroom together.

"So, what did you do for your portrait sketch?" He asked after awhile.

 _Oh fuck. Shit shit shit._ Hope blushed crimson and coughed, "I-uh, I um. I-it's not very good?"

Dean chuckled a little bit, "Okay, but who did you decide to draw?"

"Who did _you_ decide to draw?" she said

"...My mom." he said quietly, so she almost didn't hear it. She saw the sadness in his eyes, and she found herself regretting asking the question and wondering why he was so sad. She put her hand on his arm and opened her mouth to say something to him when a loud voice filled the classroom:

"Hello, everybody! Please take out your portrait sketches!" Their art teacher was a balding man, in his thirties, who wore an ensemble of skinny jeans and concert shirts to class every day. Hope liked him. She took out her folder, pulling her portrait out. SHe bit her lip, hoping Dean wouldn't see it.

"W-wha- that's me!" He looked at the sketch, grinning, and then at Hope with wide eyes. "Wow… wow, that's me!"

"It is."

"It's really good." He shook his head, "No, no, it's better than good, that's amazing!"

She smiled, "I don't think so. Not at all." She looked from the drawing to him, and back, "But it's what you look like to me."

He looked at her and smiled, "Wanna see mine?"

"Sure,"

He pulled out a slightly crinkled 8½ x 11 piece of paper with a woman's face on it. SHe had Dean's eyes. And his smile. "She's beautiful."

"Yeah." He said, his voice cracking, "She was amazing."

"You look like her, Dean."

He looked up at her, "Thanks."

"Attention to the front of the room!" they heard a yell, "Pass your work up to the front of the room!"

Hope sighed, doing so. It was going to be a long day.

-666-

Hope was walking out of the building later that day, walking toward Dean's car, when it happened. She didn't see it coming, but she felt it, the fist against her jaw, the _crack!_ that echoed through her skull. She dropped like a rock to the ground.

"Haha." _Kevin._ "Not so tough now, are you?"

She Got up and brushed herself off. A crowd had started to gather. They knew her well. The girl who always won. "You look like shit." She said with a smirk, "Who on earth did _that_ to you? Oh, yeah, it was me."

Kevin had a broken-looking nose and a black eye. He had greenish-looking bruises on his arms and face, too.

"I told you to watch your back." He sneered, "Now you gotta punch in the face."

Hope's eyes darkened, and the crowd took a step back. "oh yeah, because hitting a person when their back's turned- that's _totally_ not a sign of cowardice." She dropped into a loose fighting stance like it was second nature. "But you're gonna get your ass handed to you, douchewad."

She lunged at him, punching him in the face and then kicking his undefended stomach. She kneed him in the face when he doubled over in pain.

"I just wish you would give up." She sighed, "But next time you come near me, you're gonna end up in a hospital, I promise you." She grabbed her bag and walked off, the crowd dispersing slowly. She walked down the hallway toward the exit and toward Dean.

-666-

Dean was leaning against the driver's-side door of the Impala, waiting for Hope. Bobby had allowed Sam to sleep over his friend's house with very clear orders to call him if anything seemed off. Dean sighed, he loved Sam and he was glad his little brother could finally be happy. He closed his eyes and breathed deeply. He could see the brightness of the sun through his eyelids and he could feel the heat coming off the Impla through his shirt. He smiled again.

Suddenly, he shot up, hearing a loud bang. A couple freshmen were howling with laughter. One of them had emptied a water bottle, put the cap on, and stomped on it so it exploded. Dean rolled his eyes.

He looked at his watch. Hope should have been here. He'd just decided to wait five minutes before looking for her when she walked out of the building toward him, her leather jacket on over a hoodie, with the hood up.

She got to the car and looked at him, "Come on. Let's just go."

He looked at her, taking her hood off gently and looking at the bruise on her jaw, "What happened? Who did this to you?"

She chuckled, "You should see the other guy."

"Kevin. It was kevin, wasn't it?"

"Maybe?"

"I'm gonna rip his LUNGS out!" Dean yelled, suddenly pissed off.

"Woah, woah, cool it Tiger. Christ. I'm okay. Really."

Dean just glared at the ground, clenching his fists.

"You wanna go grab some burgers? Maybe… Pie…?"

He looked up, his face changed, but his eyes still clouded with anger, "Pie?" he asked hopefully

"Okay. Pie. Then we can talk. Over pie." Hope grinned and hopped in the car beside him.

"Music?"

"Whattaya have?"

He smiled, "There's a box of cassette tapes in the glove compartment-" he paled visibly, remembering the fake id's and the .45 he kept there too, "Uh, wait. Close your eyes."

"...Okay…"

He reached in and grabbed the box, slamming the glove compartment before she could open her eyes. "Here." He said proudly, "My collection."

Hope looked at the cassette tapes in the box carefully. "Motorhead, Kansas, Metallica, Foreigner… Man, kudos on having amazing taste in music."

Dean grinned. "Thanks."

She popped a Metallica tape in.

"A spectacular choice."

"When is it not?" She replied, grinning at him sideways

"Never." He replied

"So, uh, you gonna tell me where we're going? Or do I have to guess?"

"It's a surprise."

"Fine." She huffed, blowing her bangs out of her eyes.

He grinned and stepped on the gas.

-666-

" _The Roadhouse_?" Hope said, "You've been here how long and you've already been here?"

"Well, I just started living here last week," Dean said uncomfortably, "But we're staying with my uncle… We visit often, so I've been here a few times. This place…"

"...Is possibly the best thing to grace this goddamn hellhole of a town." She said as she shut the door

"So you don't like it here? Souix Falls?"

"No. Well, I mean, it's not really a hellhole. Actually a rather nice place. But there's just too many… Bad vibes, you know? Just memories. Ghosts."

He looked at Hope, who had found a sudden interest in her converse sneakers. She looked up at him and he felt compelled to change the subject- he recognized her face- her jaw was clenched and she wasn't blinking. It was what he did when he was trying not to show any emotion.

"Um, so, uh…" He tried, not quite sure what to say, scratching his head and opening the door for her.

"Can I get you a table?" Asked a perky blond waitress, staring at Dean and batting her eyelashes. He didn't notice, though- all his attention was focused on Hope. The blonde girl huffed and turned to Hope.

"Yes please." She croaked, and then cleared her throat. She took a deep breath and straightened her back.

Dean frowned at the lack of emotion on her face. She turned to him, looking him in the eyes.

"Alright. Right this way." The now slightly less-perky waitress said.

Dean and Hope followed her to a corner booth. Dean grinned.

"So." He sat down, "Food?"

"Yeah." She gave the waitress, "The usual, thanks."

"I'll have.. Whatever she's gettin'." Dean said distractedly, looking at his phone. He shook his head and grinned at Hope, looking up and meeting her eyes, "I'm trusting you with this."

She bit her lip, "... There's something you should know, then…"

"What?" He said, looking a little bit nervous

"I'm a vegan…"

"You're kidding."

She cracked up, "Yeah, yeah, I'm kidding. It's a bacon cheeseburger with fries and a coke."

"Good." He shook his head, "You had me scared for a minute there…"

She smiled and opened her mouth to say something, but she was interrupted by an icy voice, "I have your drinks."

Dean looked up at the blond waitress as if he was noticing her for the first time. She turned to him and smiled. He grinned back. Hope frowned, shaking her head, she shouldn't care. Because Dean was her friend. And he probably had a girlfriend. And it wasn't her.

She looked at the girl serving them. _She_ looked like the kind of girl Dean would notice. Long, blond hair, a short skirt, and way too much makeup. Hope gave herself a once over: Ripped black skinny jeans and a slightly baggy Green Day shirt with her worn leather jacket. And god, her _shoes._ The girl in front of them was wearing black shiny heels, at least three inches tall, whereas Hope was wearing beat up converse that had been scribbled all over with band names and quotes, like her backpack.

"I gotta go to the bathroom. I'll be right back." She said quietly. Dean looked away from the blond waitress with concern.

"You okay?"

"Peachy." She rolled her eyes.

-666-

Dean looked after Hope as she walked away, frowning.

"Don't worry about her, sweetheart," the waitress purred

Normally, Dean would have taken this as an invitation, but for some reason, the nameless blonde in front of him suddenly didn't seem so appealing. "Where's the bathrooms?" He asked her.

"Third door on the left. Second if you're looking for your girlfriend." The girl scowled.

"Thanks." He smiled, walking to the bathrooms. He caught her walking outside through a back exit, and followed her into the cool afternoon air.

-666-

Hope tugged her jacket tighter around herself and pulled out a cigarette.

"You know those things'll kill you." Said a smooth voice behind her. She whipped around, the unlit cigarette hanging out of her mouth, staring at Dean.

"Jesus."

"No. I'm Dean." He said, "But I've been told that the likeness is quite disconcerting."

Hope rolled her eyes, "Don't go sneaking up on me, Dean."

"Okay." He said softly.

Hope shivered. dean walked closer, saying, "Let's go inside. Our food will be here any minute." He grinned, pulling the cigarette out of her mouth and taking the pack from her hand. "Come on." He slipped the cigarette back into the pack and tucked it into her pocket.

"Alright. Since you asked so nicely." She smiled when he wrapped his arm around her shoulders, and they made it back inside.

-666-

Dean slurped his drink loudly. "So."

She grinned, slurping hers too, "So."

"Okay. How about we make a deal?"

"I'm listening," She grinned

"I ask you ten questions. You have to answer them all. No exceptions." He grinned, "At all. And then, you can ask me ten. Whatever you want."

"No."

"What?" He said, taken aback a bit

"I said no, Dean Winchester."

"How about we have a safe word."

" _What?"_

"Yeah." He laughed, "You know, when you're -"

"DEAN! I know what a safe word is! Jesus."

He chuckled, "So, basically like that. Whenever there's question you don't like or don't want to answer, you just use it." He tapped his chin, leaning back in his chair, "Now, What should it be?" He looked at the ceiling and then sat up suddenly.

Hope looked at him, raising an eyebrow.

Dean met her eyes, "Dingleberries."

"Excuse me?"

"Dingleberries. That's our safe word."

"Okay." She laughed, "Dingleberries. Got it."

"Okay. First question."

"Shoot."

"What… Is you favorite color?"

"Um, Black, because it doesn't stain, doesn't clash, and matches with everything. Not to mention that it's badass."

"Okay." He laughed, "Favorite movie?"

"Um… Heroes? No, It's A Wonderful Life, maybe? I'm not sure, I really like a lot of movies."

"Fair." He grinned , "Book?"

"Um… A Tale of Two Cities, by Charles Dickens. ' _Fot it was the best of times, it was the worst of times...'_ "

"The perfect paradox." He grinned, "I love that book. Okay. Question number four. Favorite band, solo artist, or musical group?"

"No way." She sighed, "Okay, can I just list them?"

"Yeah." He grinned

"Well, Green Day, obviously," She gestured to her shirt, "Um, Pearl Jam, Blue Oyster Cult, Kansas, ACDC, Metallica, Boston, Asia, Def Leppard, Motorhead, Styx, and Bon Jovi, on occasion. The Beatles..." She frowned, "I can dig Elvis."

Dean grinned, "Wow." He ran a hand through his hair. "Okay. Numero Five-o. How many siblings do you have?"

"None." She said tightly.

"Are you okay?" He said, concerned.

"Dingleberries."

"Right." He looked down.

"... What do you want to do when you grow up?"

"I don't… I have no idea."

"Favorite actor?"

"James Dean." She said far too quickly. She blushed crimson when Dean grinned and waggled his eyebrows at her. "Oh shut up, Dean."

"... Okayyyyy." He snorted, "Nine, because the dingleberries one counted. Um, do you like to travel?"

"I'm withholding judgement until I'm more experienced, but, yes, I'd certainly like to." She smiled, "See the world, I mean."

He grinned, "Last one."

"Okay."

"Where did you learn to draw?" She looked startled, and then remembered art class earlier, "I mean, that picture of me was just…" He chuckled, "How did you get that good?"

"I… I never really learned… I mean, it's kind of like I always had it?" She looked at him, and then realized she sounded a bit big-headed, "Sorry- not, I mean-" She sighed, "Like I never _didn't_ know how." She shook her head, "I've been drawing since before I can remember. At first, it was just because I loved to do it, and it didn't matter what I was drawing, it all just _came._ Then I used it to get rid of all my feelings. That's where I would put them. In my art. If I was angry, or sad, or hurting, I would draw. Art was my coping mechanism. I guess it still is." She sniffed and rubbed her nose.

Dean frowned and scooted around the booth, wrapping his arm around her shoulders. He opened his mouth to say something, but before he could, Hope interrupted, "Dingleberries, Mr. Winchester. I have no idea what you are about to say, but I know I won't like it. So let's drop it."

"But-"

"I said drop it." She looked him in the eyes. He sighed, knowing he wasn't going to win.

"Fine." He rubbed his eyes, "Let's go."

"Don't we have to pay?"

"Nah." He smiled, "Ellen knows me. She'll just put it on my tab."

"Okay."

Dean got up and helped Hope out. They walked out of The Roadhouse together, and Dean didn't take his hand out of Hope's until they got to the car. "Damn. Dean, I just can't get over your car." Hope ran her hands over the hood, "She's so beautiful."

"Yeah."

They hopped into the car together. "Now, Let's not go home yet- I've got plans." He grinned evilly. Hope rolled her eyes, turning the radio on. She sighed and leaned back in her seat, dangling one arm out the open window, "I love this song."

It was Boston's _More Than A Feeling._ Dean smiled, looking over at Hope. Her eyes were closed, and she was mouthing the words. She looked different, he decided. _Younger._ Her face was more relaxed, and there was almost no tension in her shoulders.

"You should really keep your eyes on the road, Dean." She said without opening her eyes.

He flushed a little and looked forward.

She giggled.

"Whatever." He said, turning the radio up louder, grinning at her. They drove for almost an hour, listening to the radio and getting lost in the music together.

-666-

It was about six o'clock when they pulled into the middle of a meadow.

"Dean?"

He smiled at her. "Come on. Don't tell me the you've lived here your whole life and never came here."

"Never."

"Then I guess that'll make this all the more fun." He smiled, come on. Get on the roof."

"Okay…"

Dean hopped out of the car and jumped onto the hood, scooching his way up to the roof and gesturing for her to do the same, patting the space next to him.

"So, What are we doing?" She asked, looking at him.

"Just lay down and stop talking."

They both laid back on the roof, staring at the sky. they laid there for a few minutes, not moving at all, until the sky changed color, slowly, so it was almost unnoticeable. From a light blue to a pinkish purple, then to a fiery reddish color. They lay there together, their shoulders touching, watching the sunset from the roof of the Impala.

"Wow."

"This isn't even the best part." Dean said.

The sky was soon full of stars. Twinkling, glittering, and shining. They were beautiful. And there were so many.

"This is amazing." Hope said, staring up.

"Yeah." Said Dean, "It's so much nicer far away from town."

"How often do you, you know, come out here?"

"Every time we come up."

"So, kind of often?"

"Maybe once every six months or so."

She whistled, "Actually I'm surprised I haven't seen you before." She propped herself on one of her elbows and looked at him

"I'm not."

"What?"

"Usually, when we come, we don't really stay in town, we stay at my uncle's house." Dean hesitated, "Well, he's not really my uncle. More like a really close family friend. But he's closer than family."

"Yeah." She laid back down, "I know what you mean."

He looked over at Hope, whose face was turned up to the sky, her eyes closed. She swallowed hard and turned her face away from him. He was about to ask what was wrong when she stretched and yawned.

"We should get going." Dean said, "It's almost ten."

"Really? We've been here four hours?"

"Yeah."

"Okay."

"Look, Hope- If you ever need anyone to talk to, you know-"

"Thanks." She looked at him, "But I'm okay. I promise."

"Alright."

They got in the car and drove home, Hope falling asleep with her head against the window. It was raining a little bit when he pulled up to the street that he's brought her home to yesterday after school when he gently shook her awake.

"Come on. We're here."

"Cool." She smiled, "Thanks for today, Dean. I really had fun."

They got out of the car and were standing out of the rain, under a dangerously crumbling balcony. "So."

"So."

"So, I guess I'll see you tomorrow, Dean."

"And I'll see you."

"If you're lucky."

Dean smiled and bit his lip, stepping forward towards Hope, leaning in, closer, closer…

Hope realized what he was doing and looked down, ducking out of the way. "Alright, then. I should get going."

Dean cleared his throat and backed off, feeling awkward. "Okay."

"See you."

"Bye."

"Goodnight, Dean." Hope said, a little sadly, walking away and leaving Dean standing in the pouring rain.

 **A/N: So. A bit of a cliffhanger there. I hope it wasn't too bad, and I'll try to update soon, but I've been really busy lately, looking into high schools and whatnot. :/ So... I hope you liked it, and I will try my best to update soon. Reviews are really very appriciated- some criticism is great! Okie, bye for now...**


	5. Chapter 5

**A/N: I'm sorry I'm a horribly shitty person, but it might be like a week until I can update again after this... School's kinda hard, and I'm trying to keep up with homework and stuff... Anyway, I hope this chapter is okay-ish for now...**

"Hi." Said Sam, who was sitting on the couch when Dean finally got to Bobby's house.

"Thought you were going to sleep over your friend's house tonight," Dean said, walking past him and upstairs.

"Well, Bobby said I had to come home," Sam replied, following his brother upstairs, "He made pie."

"That's nice."

"What's wrong, Dean?"

"Nothing," Dean growled, shucking off his jacket and flopping on his bed, facing away from Sam and toward the wall.

"Really?" Sam said, "Because that's a lie."

"Is it?"

"Yeah. I can tell because, firstly, you're transparent as glass, Dean. Second, you slammed the door, Third, you didn't even give the pie a second thought. Fourth-"

"Okay, okay, I get it." Dean sighed, sitting up and facing Sam, patting the bed next to him for Sam to sit, which he did.

When Sam saw his brother struggling for words, he said, "Just start at the very beginning."

"Okay…" And Dean told his brother all about meeting Hope, about her protecting Tessa, even though she'd never met her before, about the fight, about her ex, Zephyr, and what he did, about hanging out with her at the coffee shop then meeting up after school today. He told Sam all about how they'd gone to eat at the Roadhouse, and how that's been driving and Hope had been singing, and about her music taste, about laying on the roof of the Impala, watching the sun set and then staring up into the stars. He told his brother about standing alone in the pouring rain when she didn't want to kiss him.

And Sam saw the awe on his brother's face, the spark in his eye, the fierce protectiveness when he talked about Zephyr, the smile tugging at the corner of his mouth when he talked about the stars. It broke his heart to see that melt off Dean's face when he talked about the end of the evening.

"... And I don't even know why I care. That's the worst part, I think. That I have no idea why I care. I've known her for like two days, and I feel like shit because she rejected me. Like, I've been rejected more times than I can count, and it never mattered before."

"Dean." Sam looked into his brother's eyes, "She just got out of an _insanely_ abusive, toxic relationship that meant a lot to her. He tried to _kill_ her. That's enough to make a person never want to be in love again. She's probably got some kind of trust issues-" Dean remembered how she didn't like talking about anything remotely related to her family- "And it makes sense that she'd be a bit apprehensive to be in another relationship so soon. And no offense- but I'm sure your reputation isn't really helping. What you need to do is become friends with her until she knows that she can trust you. Then, and only then, would it be wise to even think about trying again."

Dean looked at his little brother, "When did you get so smart, shrimp?"

Sam rolled his eyes, "Shut up, jerk."

"Bitch."

"'Night, Dean."

"'Night, Sammy."

Dean sighed as his brother turned his light off and shut the door. He curled up in a ball on his bed. He'd talk to her tomorrow, he promised himself. Until then, he'd just have to figure out what he wanted to say.

-666-

Hope couldn't sleep that night at all. She checked her phone and was a little surprised to see a text from Dean.

 **Hey. Im sorry about… you know, earlier. Anyway, I hope we're still cool? Can we just forget about this and move on?**

 **-Dean**

Hope smiled and texted back,

 **Yeah. We're cool. See you tomorrow.**

 **-Hope :)**

She sighed, laying down, relief flowing through her- Dean wasn't mad. Maybe now she could finally get some sleep.

-666-

Dean smiled, looking at Hope's almost instant reply. He was relieved that she wasn't mad at all. He lay down on his bed again. Maybe now he could sighed, thinking of all the homework that he hadn't done. Normally, he wouldn't care, but he had seen Hope in some of the classes that they had together, and she was really quite smart. She wasn't a nerd- she was smart enough, certainly, but not _flamboyantly_ so. And he wanted to stay in the few AP classes that he'd managed to weasel his way into. He sighed, then snorted. He, Dean Winchester, chick magnet and bad boy extraordinaire, was stressing about one rejection and his grades. He shook his head. What had the world come to?

-666-

Dean was on his way to homeroom when he saw Hope again. She was wearing a slightly baggy, very worn Def Leppard tee shirt with a pair of blue jeans.

"Hi." He said from across the hall.

"Hey." she smiled, grinning at Dean, "So… Last night, I was thinking, you know-"

Dean snorted, "That's never safe."

"Hey!" Hope said, smacking him on the arm, "Anyway, basically, I was thinking that I never got to ask you my questions."

"So…"

"So, Dean Winchester, what I'm doing right now is asking you if you would want to meet up after classes some time and finish up." She made a gagging, sound, "Fuck, that sounded really dirty… But you know what I mean."

"Yeah, sure."

"Alright. Today's Friday, and I have to work today, so I can't. Then I'm working nine to five tomorrow."

"Okay. How about." Dean grinned, "You text me whenever you're free and I'll come pick you up and we can go wherever you want."

"No way. _I'm_ coming to get _you_."

"You have a car?"

She grinned, "A motorcycle, actually. Don't worry. I have an extra helmet." She raised her eyebrows, "And you don't get to say no because this time, it's your turn to get surprised."

"Fine."

She rolled her eyes.

"Jesus." She waved to him, not turning around, "See you."

He grinned in spite of himself, muttering, "Later," As she turned the corner.

-666-

It was around three when Dean finally got out of his classes. He sighed, going to wait by the impala, knowing Sam would remember where he's parked it. He was sitting on the hood, writing in his notebook with his earbuds in when he heard the bike.

"Wow." He looked up, seeing Hope park it and take her helmet off, her hair falling around her shoulders.

"She's amazing. Built her myself, actually."

"Really?" Dean looked at her in surprise

"Really." She smiled, "okay. I gotta go. I'll see you later?"

"Unless you decide to stand me up."

"Okay. I'll see you later then."

"Yep."

"Alright." She grinned at him one last time before putting her helmet back on and driving away. Dean looked down and realized she'd dropped something on his lap.

It was a tape with a note taped onto it. He picked it up to read it. It said, _I know you're not really into punk music at all, but I made you a mixtape to try and convince you otherwise. -Hope ;)_

Dean smiled, looking up as Sam walked towards him.

"Dude, was that that girl from yesterday in that bike just now?"

"Mm-hmm." Dean said distracted, looking at the tape in his hands.

"Alright. Let's go."

"Okay. Hey, I got some new music for the car ride."

Sam grinned, " _Finally._ "

"Shut up."

-666-

When they finally got home, Dean heard music blasting from the garage. "What the hell?"

"Bobby said that someone was coming by to work on some cars today. I remember him saying something about it last night."

"Did he say who it was?" Dean asked

"Nah. He said, 'make sure Dean doesn't flip out and kill somebody.'"

"Oh. Okay. Where's he?"

"Supply run, I think. He said something about swinging by town to get milk and some bread. Maybe a video?"

"Cool. You go do your homework- I'll go see whoever's here."

"Okay."

Dean sighed and got out of the car, his and Sam going off on their separate ways.

He walked over to the garage, the music getting louder as he got closer. He almost laughed out loud- it was Warrant's _Cherry Pie_. He walked through the door, grinning. He saw a pair of feet sticking out from underneath a car. He walked over to the radio and paused the tape.

"Hey!" Said the person indignantly, rolling out from under the car, "Bobby! You said I could listen to whatever-"

Suddenly, Dean was staring into a pair of very intense,very confused, very blue eyes. " _Dean?"_

" _Hope?"_

"What the _hell_ are you doing here?"

Dean didn't answer right away- he was busy looking at Hope and thinking that she was wearing a tight tank top and baggy pants and her hair was messy and she had axle grease smudge on her face and how _perfect_ she looked, and how it was slowly becoming harder to form a coherent thought- "I- uh- I kind of, um, live here?"

"No. Bobby lives here. I think you've got the wrong address. I've known him my whole life, and he was only married once- no kids, no family at all, actually."

Dean laughed, "He wouldn't tell you about us."

"... So Bobby Singer is your uncle? The one you stay with whenever you come up?"

"Well, a close friend of my dad's. John."

Hope's eyes widened as all the puzzle pieces clicked together in her mind. "John Winchester? Bobby's talked about him a few times, but I've never met the guy."

"How much do you know?" Dean asked nervously.

Hope flushed, "He's got two sons- you and Sam, I guess. He likes to drink. That's about it."

Dean breathed a sigh of relief.

"So, you help him here, too?" She asked

"Yeah."

"Great. Turn the tape back on and grab a wrench."

Dean grinned, "Great."

When Bobby finally came home, he looked in and saw the two of them working in the garage, listening to music and laughing. He had to do a double take- Dean looked so much different when he was happy. _Really_ happy. Bobby sighed. It had been a long time since he'd seen Dean like this. Too long. He smiled.

-666-

"Okay. I'm leaving. It's eight."

"You said you were working nine to five tomorrow? Not here, I'm assuming."

"No. Actually, this isn't even a paying job." SHe laughed, "I work at the record store most days."

"But yesterday was okay?"

She shrugged, "Usually, I work there Mondays, Wednesdays, and Saturdays. I come here most Fridays because it's relaxing. Bobby's not too bad, either."

Dean shook his head, "Whenever we come up, we sometimes stay for weeks at a time. I don't know how we never noticed you."

Hope shrugged, grabbing her bag, "Sometimes, Bobby'll tell me not to come around for a few weeks, so I wouldn't. I respected his wishes- I trust he wasn't doing anything illegal or anything. I know he's got a little bit of a drinking problem, mostly since his wife, you know… So I figure sometimes he wants to be alone. I never pried- I don't ask questions, and neither does he. It works out fine."

"Never bothered you?"

"Should it have?"

"No, it's just, how well do you know him?"

"Bobby Singer's like the parent I never had. Okay? God, don't tell him I said that, but it's true. Whenever stuff gets bad, he lets me hole up here, hide, y'know. He's a little odd, I mean his library, for one. He's got a lot of satanic shit in there…"

"You mean you've read it?"

"Every book."

"Oh."

"Well, anyway, I gotta go. You can come visit me tomorrow? It's usually pretty dead in there anyway."

"Yeah sure. I'll see you then." He smiled at her, pulling her into a hug. At first she stiffened, but then she relaxed a little bit and hugged him back.

"Yeah. Okay."

"Alright." She smiled and waved one last time before walking out the door. When Dean heard the motorcycle engine rev, he shut the radio off and walked back to the house.

"Bobby?" He said, walking in the door, "What the _hell_?"

Bobby turned to Dean from where he was cooking at the stove. Sam, who was sitting on the counter with his legs crossed bent over the garbage, peeling potatoes, looked up too. "What's wrong? You seemed to get along okay."

"She's the girl I was telling' you about," Sam said, "The one with the music and the motorcycle and stuff."

"And Dean's heart, apparently," Bobby grinned, ruffling Dean's hair affectionately. "Set the table. I got somethin' to tell you idjits."

Dean rolled his eyes, but his face flushed pink, "I'm not in love with her. Even if I _was_ it wouldn't matter 'cause she doesn't like me back."

Bobby sighed, "Dean, don't take it too personal…"

"I know, I know." He looked up, "How do you know?"

"It's a small town. Rumors travel. Not to mention she comes up here once and awhile, just to forget everything,"

"What?" Dean asked

"No, not… what you're thinking. She's never touched a drop. She smokes, but never alcohol. Her old man drinks, and she'd do anything not to end up like him."

"Oh…" Dean trailed off, no stranger to daddy issues

"Yeah. I make sure she doesn't leave the house. She usually just passes out and stays the night, sleeps it off the next day. I hate to see her like this, but I know if she didn't come to me, there's a lot worse places she could go."

"Yeah." Dean frowned, "So, you just tell her to stay away when we're here?"

"Mm-hmm. She comes by a lot, sometimes she camps out upstairs and watches films, sometimes she reads. She's read the whole library by now, I'd imagine."

"Yeah. She said."

"Anyway. She's up here a lot. The third guest bed is hers, actually."

"Wait. So, this girl _happens_ to be sort-of living in and out of your house for the past two years, and you failed to mention it until _now_? And she never heard anything odd or went down the basement, or…?"

"No. Contrary to popular belief, she's actually a really nice girl. Really respectful, honest. Doesn't break any laws, either."

"Yeah, she seems okay."

Dean rolled his eyes, "It's just so unlike you not to mention her at all. To Dad or to us. I mean, I get now why we were never allowed to go into the third room, frankly I never did because I was scared to find human remains or something, but really? Never a word?"

"What was I supposed to say? 'Hey Sam, Dean, I got a kid sort-of staying with me, who knows nothing about you or hunting, and is going to wonder who you are and what you do and why you're always moving' Huh? That it?"

"That would've done, yeah."

Bobby wiped his hand with his face, "Well, now you know, and she knows about you. She's welcome to stay while you guys are here, tell her, but no _funny business_ on my furniture."

Dean chuckled, "Okay, Bobby."

"And for god's sake, Dean, don't let anything slip. Her life's pretty much a living hell as it is. She doesn't need all this other crap too."

"Yeah. I know."

-666-

It was early Saturday when Dean woke up. 6:30-ish. He shuffled downstairs to get breakfast when he heard Sam yawn from the table.

"Hey. Whattaya doin' up?" Dean mumbled, still groggy

"I could ask you the same question. Anyway, I'm always up this early. You, on the other hand, aren't even up this early on a school day."

"Couldn't sleep. I gave up."

"Wait.. so you've been up all night?"

"Yeah. Not my first all-nighter. I'll be okay, Sammy." He ruffled his little brother's hair

"Yeah. I know you will. Hey," He said, "Are you thinking about going' to homecoming? I mean, I have, but I don't think I will. You could though."

Dean choked and almost spat out his cereal. "Shit, I completely forgot about homecoming."

"Well, who ya gonna ask?"

"Dunno." Said Dean sulkily

Sam rolled his eyes, "Look, it's not rocket science, Dean-"

"Yeah. I bet rocket science would be a piece of cake compared to this."

"To what?" Sam asked, almost laughing

" _Feelings._ "

Sam finally laughed at his brother's expression, "You mean liking someone for something less superficial and shallow than their looks."

"Well, she doesn't look _bad_."

Sam rolled his eyes, "What I meant was that you should just ask her as a friend. You know. Go together. Dance. Have fun. But as friends."

"I don't know if you noticed or not, Sammy, but I don't do _friends._ "

Sam rolled his eyes, "That's the POINT, Dean. You're _not_ doing her. And this might be an alien concept for you, but not every girl is gonna run straight at you and wanna fuck."

Dean blushed, "Shut up. And watch your language, you're fourteen!"

"Well, we wouldn't be having this conversation if you weren't such a jerk."

"Bitch."

"Watch your _language_ , Dean."

"Okay. That is _it._ " Dean dove at his brother, tackling him off his seat to the couch, not actually hurting him, just tickling him until Sam was pleading for mercy with tears in his eyes.

Bobby ran downstairs when he heard shouting, but he was reliever to find the two boys on the couch goofing around. "P-please, D-dean, stop!" Sam gasped, "I'm- I'm s-sorry- ah!"

"Haha. I win. Fine." Dean got up, releasing his little brother

Dean sighed, "Anyway. I gotta do my homework. I'm meeting Hope at the record store later."

"You're gonna spend all day there with her?"

"Dude. It's a record store. With a pretty girl. Who has good taste in music and likes my car."

"Well, when you put it that way…"

Dean laughed, "I'll see you tonight. We should watch a film."  
"Star Wars!"

"Which one?"

"Don't care."

"Okay then. I'll see what I can do."

-666-

Dean cast one last look in the mirror before he finally left. He knew where the record store was- he'd been there several times with Bobby before.

He had to admit to himself that he was a bit worried. He wasn't sure why, though. He wasn't supposed to care anyway. They were just friends going out to have a good time. He inhaled deeply, trying to feel more relaxed. He _was_ going to ask her today. And it wasn't like he was gonna ask her to prom or anything. Right?

He grinned, looking at the mixtape on his dresser. He'd listened to it, and he's been surprised that he liked it. It was faster, louder, and more aggressive music than he was used to hearing, but it kind of made him want to kill something, which was kind of useful, seeing as that's what he did for a living.

He walked downstairs, tucking it in his pocket as he did so. He figured he's listen to it some more in his car on the way.

"Hey, have fun. See you tonight." Said Sam from the couch, where he had textbooks and papers spread all around himself.

"Okay, thanks." Dean said, grabbing his keys, "Hey, why're you doing homework? We just started school, like, two days ago."

Sam rolled his eyes, "Whatever. I'm trying not to fall behind. You should do the same thing, Dean. You know you can't flunk out this time."

Dean rolled his eyes, "I already did all my homework. Seriously, it wasn't that bad- mostly math, which was okay. I'm good at math."

Sam smiled, he knew his brother was far more intelligent than he gave himself credit for. Smarter that _John_ gave him credit for. Sam got a bitter taste in his mouth. If it wasn't for John and his… _obsession_ , Dean would be well on his way to college- with his mind, probably a top university, and probably on a scholarship. Maybe Dean would have become a star athlete. But they'd never know. Dean had committed to this life- to follow in his father's footsteps.

Dean looked at his little brother, who had a faraway, glazed-over look in his eyes, like he was far away, in another world. Lost in thought. "Sammy? You good?"

"Mmm-hmm. Yeah." Sam looked up at Dean, the glazed-over look gone

"'Kay, see you, Sammy. I'll be back by nine."

"Okay." Said Sam absently, looking back to his books.

Dean grinned and rolled his eyes before grabbing his keys and walking out the door.

-666-

When he walked into the record store -it was dead in there, just as he had predicted-, he saw Hope behind the counter with a sketchbook and earbuds in, even though there was music playing in the store. She had her knees pulled up, and her sketchbook on her lap. She was biting her lip and she had a little crease between her eyebrows.

"Hey." he said, walking up to the counter

She didn't look up.

"Hope."

She continued to scribble in her sketchbook, not hearing him. He rolled his eyes and yanked her earbuds out of her ears.

"Wh- wha-" She looked startled, as if she'd just been violently woken up.

"Hi. What's that you're drawing?"Dean asked, leaning over the counter to get a better look.

"I- uh, nothing. Just… A little thing I was doing. It doesn't matter."

Dean got the message and dropped it. "Okay." He smiled, "So."

"So." She sighed and closed her notebook, placing it on the table and yawning.

"Hey." He said, walking around the counter and sitting in an extra chair next to hers, "You okay?"

"Fine." Now that he was closer, he could see that she had subtle shadows around her eyes that looked like she's tried to cover with makeup. She cracked her knuckles, "I could use some coffee, though."

"Want me to go pick some up? I'll be right back. What do you want?"

"Just regular coffee, thanks," She sighed, running a hand through her hair, "And Dean?"

"Yeah?"

"Make sure there's a lot of cream and sugar so it doesn't taste like ass, okay?" She grinned tiredly

"Yeah, sure." He smiled, grabbing his keys and walking out the door to his car. He shook his head, looking back at her one more time. She was twirling her pencil in her fingers with an absent expression on her face.

He hoped she was okay.

-666-

When Dean walked back into the musty-smelling record store, he walked to the back, where he knew Hope would be- at the back counter with the cash register where he's left her. When he finally walked over there, she was asleep on the desk, snoring lightly. He smiled, she looked like she needed to sleep anyway. He placed her coffee cup far enough away so that she wouldn't knock it over on accident later when she woke up, but so that it was arm's length away. He wandered off to look around at the records.

He was looking at a Blue Oyster Cult album when he heard someone whimper. He was immidiately on the defensive, dropping the record back into the box and plastering himself to the wall so nobody would see him. His first instinct was to make sure that the only other person he knew about in the store was okay- Hope. He peeked around the shelf and saw her still sleeping, muttering and tossing her head as if she was having a bad dream.

He started to walk over to her when she gasped awake, sitting up, and breathing heavily. She took a deep breath and rubbed her eyes. She saw the coffee and picked it up, taking a few gulps.

Dean want back to looking at the records like he hadn't witnessed anything.

"Dean? You here?"

He looked up, "Oh, you're finally awake." He said

"Yeah. sorry about falling asleep on you, it's just… I'm tired- haven't-" SHe yawned, chugging more, "Been sleeping too well…"

"Really? You okay?" He asked, concerned

"Mmm-hmm." She chugged some more coffee

"Okay." He looked doubtful, "You sure?"

"Yeah. I'm good. No big deal. Just, you know, getting into college is stressful, you know?"

He shook his head, a little grin on his face, "Nah, not really. I'm not going."

"Why?" She looked stunned, "You're smart enough, that's for sure."

"No I'm not. And anyway, Sammy needs me. If I'm not around, him and dad'll kill each other in a miliscond. And anyway, I'm going into the family buisness."

"The what?"

"Yeah. I'm gonna be a mechanic."

She smiled, "Well, then, Dean, you're gonna make a damn fine machanic. Cheers to that." She raised her coffee cup, tapping his.

He laughed, "I sure hope so."

They smiled at each other. She was pretty cool, Dean figured. At least, she took his plans not to go to college better than any other girl had. But then, he suppossed, Hope wasn't like most girls.

-666-

"How come it's so dead in here?" Dean asked, "It's awesome."

"Nobody ever comes in here." Hope informed him, looking at the back of a Green Day record, "And honestly, I have no idea why."

"Anyone else work here with you? I mean, cause, you don't own the place, and you only work part time…"

"Mmm-hmm." SHe said, putting the record back, "Jerry." She smiled, "He's about five foot zilch, a middle-aged man who's still a teenager at heart. He's pretty awesome. He's got this amazing comic book collection that he lets me read-"

Dean smiled, not even hearing what she was saying, just enjoying the expression of excitement and childish joy that she got on her face. The spark in her eyes, and the smile that lit up the entire room.

"Dean? Are you even listening?" She said, not annoyed as much as amused

"Hmm. Just thinking, I guess?"

"What about, exactly?"

"Wether or not you'll be busy on the night of homecoming." He met her eyes with difficulty, hopefulness in his expression.

"Dean Winchester, are you asking me to go to a dance with you?"

"I- y-eah? Unless, you know, you want to just… go as, friends, I mean-" He got cut off with Hope grabbing the front of his shirt and kissing him.

She let go a few seconds later, "Does that answer your question?"

He coughed, "I'm still a little fuzzy on the details," He grinned at her.

"Shut up. Of course I'll go to homecoming with you."

-666-

It was around twelve when Hope decided she needed another coffee.

"Iced." She sighed, "I'll go get it. It's in the back room, in the fridge. You want one?"

"Nah, I'm good."

"Alright."

She walked off, and Dean noticed a small, almost unnoticable limp in her step. He narrowed his eyes, but chalked it down to the fact that maybe she was still sore from one of the many fights they'd had this week. Dean shook his head. It was a bit ridiculous, though he shouldn't be talking… He hunted demons and spirits for a living.

"Hey." Hope said, walking up to him and nuging his ankle with her toe, "I got you one anyway. If you don't want it, there's just more for me."

"You know what? I think I will take one."

"Great." She handed it to him, and leaned back against the shelf with him. She's just taked a sip of coffee when she heard a song start playing. "Oh, I like this song." SHe ran over to the speaker, putting her coffee down so that she could do so. "Come on, Dean! Dance!"

"I dunno…"

She ran over to him and grabbed his hands, setting his coffee down.

"Oh, alright…" He grumbled

She beamed, and they started to dance. Dean didn't recognize the song, but he decided it wasn't too bad. They danced and let the music surround them. Hope sang along.

 _I don't know where you're going_

 _But do you got room for one more troubled soul?_

 _I don't know where I'm going_

 _But I don't think I'm coming home and I said_

 _I'll check in tomorrow if I don't wake up dead_

 _This is the road to ruin_

 _And we're starting at the end_

 _Say yeah_

 _Let's be alone together_

 _We could stay young forever_

 _Scream it from the top of your lungs, lungs, lungs_

 _Say yeah_

 _Let's be alone together_

 _We could stay young forever_

 _We'll stay young, young, young, young, young._

 _You cut me off, I lost my track_

 _It's not my fault, I'm a maniac_

 _It's not funny anymore, no it's not_

 _My heart is like a stallion_

 _They love it more when it's broke in_

 _Do you wanna feel beautiful?_

 _Do you wanna? Yeah!_

 _I'm outside the door, invite me in_

 _So we can go back and play pretend_

 _I'm on deck, yeah, I'm up next_

 _Tonight I'm high as a private jet_

 _'Cause I don't know where you're going_

 _But do you got room for one more troubled soul?_

 _I don't know where I'm going_

 _But I don't think I'm coming home and I said_

 _I'll check in tomorrow if I don't wake up dead_

 _This is the road to ruin_

 _And we're starting at the end_

 _Say yeah_

 _Let's be alone together_

 _We could stay young forever_

 _Scream it from the top of your lungs, lungs, lungs_

 _Say yeah_

 _Let's be alone together_

 _We could stay young forever_

 _We'll stay young, young, young, young, young._

 _My heart is like a stallion_

 _They love it more when it's broke in_

 _Do you wanna feel beautiful?_

 _Do you wanna? Yeah!_

 _I'm outside the door, invite me in_

 _So we can go back and play pretend_

 _I'm on deck, yeah, I'm up next_

 _Tonight I'm high as a private jet._

 _Yeah,_

 _Let's be alone together_

 _We could stay young forever_

 _Scream it from the top of your lungs, lungs, lungs_

 _Say yeah_

 _Let's be alone together_

 _We could stay young forever_

 _We'll stay young, young, young, young, young._

 _I don't know where you're going_

 _But do you got room for one more troubled soul?_

 _I don't know where I'm going_

 _But I don't think I'm coming home and I said_

 _I'll check in tomorrow if I don't wake up dead_

 _This is the road to ruin_

 _And we're starting at the end_.

She rested her head on Dean's shoulder, and he wrapped his arms around her, holding her close. He'd never really understood the term "warm and fuzzy", but now he did. He smiled faintly, a warm feeling starting near his stomach and extending to his fingers and toes. It was wierd, he thought, how in his whole life, nobody had ever managed to make him feel like this. Sure, he's had girlfriends. Loads. But he's never had any… _feelings_ for any of them. And he'd never had any friends. Not as a little kid, not in middle school, and not in high school. But this random girl that he met just a few days ago had changed all of that. And he didn't know why. What set her apart? He'd asked himself the exact same question every day, and he'd finally found the answer.

Everything.

He thought everything about her was amazing. The way her smiles never reached her eyes, like she was sad but fighting it back for everybody else. The way she listened whenever he talked- her full attention on him. The way she picked herself up every time she got shoved down, just standing taller than before. The way she could tell immidiately when something was wrong. The way she could capture not just the picture when she drew, but the _emotion_. The way she could lose herself in music. The way she could let it wash everything away. He loved the way she laughed, and the way she cried. He loved how he could stand here with her, dancing in a record store to a song he'd ever heard before, and not feel at all weird.

He hugged her a little tighter, and she wrapped her arms around his waist, and they just stood there, swaying and holding each other, not even listening to the lyrics anymore because it didn't matter. Nothing mattered but that moment.

-666-

Hope's shift ended at five, and she locked up. Her and Dean left the record store. "So. I should go…"

"Okay. Alright. I'll see you. I can't tomorrow- I need to catch up on some homework and studying."

"Yeah. Me too. I'll see you soon, though. Monday." He smiled and hugged her. She hugged him back.

"Dean?" She said, pulling away

"Yeah?"

"She smiled, "I sure am glad I met you."

"Yeah," He smiled, hugging her again, "Me too."

 **A/N: *Feels* Okay, so like I said, I won't be updating for awhile, and it was kind of brought to my attention that using the words "god" and "christ" and whatnot the way I was could have been offensive- so im sorry- that never even occoured to me.**

 **FURTHERMORE- I've got this other story I'm working on right now... this Destiel high school AU where Cas is a girl (It was lunch hour. I was bored) and ya'll can go check that out if you wanna... So ok. See you!**


	6. Chapter 6

**A/N: I hope this okay... Drop me a review & tell me what you think :)**

Sam giggled, sitting cross legged on the other side of his brother's bed. "So, did you ask her? Huh? What did she say? Did she say yes?"

"Dean rolled his eyes, sitting across from Sam, "Yeah, she said yes, and we're going to homecoming."

Sam grinned, "Awesome!" He coughed, forcing a neutral expression, "I- uh, cool."

Dean rolled his eyes. "So. Are you gonna take anyone? How about Sheila?"

Sam's eyes popped open and he blushed, "Dean! She's a year ahead of me!"

"So? My first fling was when I was about your age… But she was older… Sixteen, maybe seventeen…"

"Dean!" Sam blushed even deeper

"Well, I was a smooth talker. What can I say?"

Sam shivered, "God, anything but that."

Dean rolled his eyes, "The point is, Sammy, you need to stop dicking around and grow a pair- ask that girl to the fucking prom, for fuck's sake!"

"Yeah…"

"So. Guess what I got…"

"Star Wars?"

"You bet."

"Awesome!"

Dean held it out and Sam put it in the player. Dean went out to the kitchen to make some popcorn, mumbling about Sam being a "huge dork" but Sam was too busy with the movie to notice or care.

-666-

Monday came faster than Dean thought it would. He'd caught up on all of his work, and was even ahead in most of his classes. He was kind of excited in spite of himself- he couldn't wait to see Hope again. It hadn't even been three days since he'd seen her, and the time between felt warped, like it hadn't happened- like he'd jumped from Saturday to Monday in the blink of an eye, but also like it had lasted _forever_.

Sam laughed, "You missed your mouth, Dean."

"Yeah, yeah." Dean said, rolling his eyes, shoveling some more cereal in his mouth, "Any'fin' afta' s'hool?" He said, his mouth full

"Sam wrinkled his nose, "Don't do that. Talking with your mouth open. It's gross."

"Dean swallowed, "Straight home? After school? Or are you goin' with someone?"

"Nah- I'm goin' to the library with Devin. Is that okay?"

"How are you getin' home?"

"... He'll drive me- well, his mom will."

"Okay, and-"

"Yeah, yeah, call you if anything seems off, I know, I know…"

"Alright. Let's go."

"Why the hurry? Got a date?"

"With destiny." Dean winked at his brother, grabbing his jacket and walking out the door.

"... And you said _I_ was a dork…" Sam muttered, scrambling out after his brother

-666-

Dean walked into school, his mind on Hope. He smiled a bit, glad that he'd be seeing her soon. He didn't really expect to see her surrounded but four or five people, laughing and smiling… The was best friends do. The way people who've known each other for a long time do. Dean, feeling a bit out of place, turned around and walked tward homeroom. He wasn't really in the mood to deal with people anymore.

-666-

Hope was in the hallway with several of her friends. She felt guilty ignoring them the past few days, what with Dean and all… She smiled at Mary, who was pelting her with questions while Jake, Alice, and Frankie watched.

"So, this guy you met, what's he like?" Mary asked, her blue eyes sparkling, "Is he cute?"

"No… I don't think _cute_ is the word to describe Dean Winchester…"

"Well…?" Mary said, tucking a blonde curl behind one ear, "How would you describe him?"

"Smart, strong, handsome- no, beautiful, funny, brave… He's got great taste in music… And he's got this _beautiful_ '67 Impala that's shiny and black… He keeps it in mint condition… I guess the word is amazing. And he's a pretty great kisser."

Jake laughed, black hair falling into his eyes, sticking his hands in the pockets of his dark jeans, "He sounds great. Can we meet him?"

"Yeah." Said Frankie, sniffing and running a hand through her unruly, curly dark hair, "He's better not be an asshole…"

"I'm sure he's great." Alice said, her voice small. She was short and slight, with long, straight, light blonde hair.

Hope smiled, "He is."

"You know where he is now?" Frankie asked, raising an eyebrow

"Hopefully not picking a fight with some unlucky bastard."

"He's a good fighter, then?" Asked Jake

"Mmm-hmm." Hope said, flashing back to the way Dean moved when he was fighting, his movements loose and flowing, but controlled. Practiced.

"Yeah, he sounds cool." Said Mary, "How about we meet him at lunch today?"

"That sounds cool. I'll ask him when I see him again." Suddenly, Hope noticed a head of blond hair in the crowd, "Tessa!" She cried, waving her friend over.

"Hi…?" Tessa said nervously, looking the five people before her in the eyes

"Guys, this is Tessa. Tessa, meet guys." She pointed to each of her friends in turn, "Jake, Mary, Frankie, and Alice."

"Hey, Tessa." They said in unison.

Tessa smiled shyly and waved. She opened her mouth to say something, but got cut off by the bell ringing.

"I gotta get to class." She said apologetically, "See you guys later, maybe?"

"Yeah… How about lunch? That way we can meet up and get to know you?"

"Cool."

"Okay, guys. Me and Tess will see you later." Hope smiled, waving to her friends as she walked down the hall with Tessa to science. She smiled, anticipating seeing Dean.

-666-

Dean sighed, looking up into the sky as he walked around the school. He heard the bell ring, and knew he should be in Science… but he couldn't bring himself to care anymore. He shoved his hands in the pockets of his leather jacket and moved to sit down under an oak tree, facing the road.

He was tired, just exhausted. Tired of worrying about their dad, whether he'd come home in one piece or even at all. Tired of worrying about Sam, if he was going to leave them to go to college, if he'd be okay without Dean. Tired of worrying about being enough- smart enough, strong enough, good enough, to be all his dad wanted.

Tired of feeling like a piece of shit every time he screwed up. Tired of everything. He closed his eyes and dozed off.

-666-

Hope didn't really start to worry until Dean still hadn't shown his face at lunch. They were supposed to meet up… She's texten him multiple times, but to no avail. She explained to her friends what had happened.

"So, what, he's MIA?" Frankie asked, chomping on her gum loudly

"I dunno- I mean, he wouldn't blow me off on purpose…" She shook her head, "You know what? I'm gonna go look for him."

"I'll come-" Jake offered

"Great." Hope said, "Come on. The rest of you, we'll meet up later. Okay?"

"Cool." Frankie said, Alice nodding.

"Okay," Said Jake, walking away, Hope not far behind, "Let's go find this Winchester kid."

-666-

Dean was still pretty out when they _did_ find him, under the same tree that he'd originally fallen asleep under.

"Dean, come on, you've missed half the day." Hope said, grinning, nudging him with her foot.

"Mmhghhnh..." Dean groaned, his eyes fluttering as he yawned.

"Deeeeaaaann."

"What?" He said, rubbing his eyes, squinting up at her, scrambling up to a standing position.

"Nothing, except that you missed about half the day," She smiled at him

"Sorry. Rough week." He dragged a hand across his face, and looking at Jake, he said, "Who's this?"

"Jake, my friend, who you were supposed to meet at lunch today. I only texted you 'about five hundred times." She said

"Sorry-"

"Nah- it's okay- they're still in the cafeteria; lunch isn't over for a half hour or so." She smacked him on the shoulder, "You comin'?"

"Yeah."

"You go ahead, Hope, I'm gonna talk to Dean for a sec. Tell 'em we're on our way." He smiled.

"Alright, just- don't… I know how you can be sometimes," She said to Jake, "So try not to… Come on too strong, okay?"

"I promise."

Hope walked away, tward the lunch room, and Dean was left standing in the hallway with the other boy. Jake.

"Dean Winchester." Jake said, holding out a hand, "I've heard a lot about you."

"Really?" Dean replied, taking it, "Nothing too bad, I hope."

"About that." Said Jake, folding his arms across his chest and flipping his longish hair out of his eyes, "You've got quite the rep around here- and everywhere else for that matter- and I'd just like to confirm what I've heard."

"Okay." said Dean, not finding reason to pick a fight

"Well, you've kind been classified as being kind of a… How do I say it lightly? A tramp. You've never been with a girl for more than a month. You're not in it for the long-term. Or even the short-term."

"Well, I haven't heard any lies so far."

"You're not really boyfriend material, am I right?"

Dean shrugged, this conversation getting personal for him, "Look-"

"Is it true?"

"This is a little personal, you don't think?"

Jake glared at him, "No. I don't think so. Not more personal than you dating Hope. Okay? That's personal, because she's like a sister to me. She's gone through a lot of crap to get where she is, and she's still going through it every day. Okay? She's good at pretending she's got it good, but after… Everything, she can't afford to be broken again, not when she's still putting herself back together from the last time. Okay? And if you do hurt her, Dean Winchester…"

"You'll kick the shit out of me?"

"No. I think Hope is plenty capable of doing that herself." And with that, Jank walked off, presumably to join Hope and their group of friends in the lunchroom. Dean took a deep breath and followed.

 **A/N: Okay, I'm super sorry that it took me so long to update & the short chapter *wince*…. I kinda got caught up in that other story I'm making, not to mention school isn't exactly perfect at the moment. Ironically enough, I have a C+ in English writing (but otherwise all A's)… So my confidence kind of took a blow there. Anywho, drop me a review to tell me what you think, and I'll update ASAP :)**


	7. Chapter 7

**A/N: Whoohoo! The long- awaited update has finally come! So, basically, if you don't know, I'm gonna be really busy for awhile, and I'm not really sure when I'll update this again. This is my first fic, so it's a little weird, like, having people read my writing, but I think I'll get used to it in time. Anyway, read and enjoy :3**

"So." Hope smiled at me from where she was seated on the opposite side of the circular lunch table. "How about we do that thing that we used to do in grammar school, where we go in a circle and say our names and one thing about ourselves."

"Okay, I'll go first, I guess. My name's Frankie." Said a slender girl with dark hair. She had two lip piercings on her bottom lip near the right corner of her mouth, and when she turned her head, Dean thought he saw a peek of a tattoo poking out from the neck of her shirt. "There's not much to know about me, really. Me and Alice have been together for about four months now." She smiled at another girl. She looked Dean in the eyes and grinned a little, "You fuck with me, I'll fuck you up." She said, munching on a french fry. Dean didn't doubt it, either. He could see the muscles of her arms through her shirt, and she looked strong and well-built. She'd walked with the grace and confidence of a fighter, too.

"Hey." The other girl said, "My name's Alice, if you haven't guessed." She didn't break eye contact, and it intrigued Dean; the way she was looking at him… Almost like she was waiting for him to do something. She had blonde hair with a few streaks dyed a deep purple. Her eyes were a blue, but they were more flat, like a lake, where Hope's eyes were bright and electric, like a cloudless sky on a really bright spring day. "Forget Frankie; she comes off a little strong sometimes." Alice smiled kindly, her eyes sparkling a little.

"I'm Mary." Said the other girl at the table. She's been so silent the whole time, Dean had almost forgotten that she'd been there. She had light, dirty blonde hair and pale blue eyes. She was wearing a light blue dress with a white collar. Out of all of them, she was the best dressed. "My father's a pastor at the local church. I'm planning to go to Harvard next year. I've sent my application in and been accepted."

"What she means is that she's the only one of us with a real future. Except Hope, I guess." Frankie teased, "With a voice like hers, the sky's the limit."

"You can sing?" Dean asked, turning to Hope with a grin on his face.

She flushed and shrugged, "A little, I guess."

He laughed, and so did everyone else. Dean had been worried about not fitting with her friends, but he felt more comfortable than he ever had in his life, with any other group of people.

They began talking, and conversation flowed smoothly. Dean soon found himself at ease, and he was a little disapointed when the bell rang, signaling the end of lunch hour.

Everyone stood up, saying their goodbyes for the day.

"See you tomorrow,m Dean?" Alice asked

"Yeah." He smiled, "I think so."

And as he walked away to History, he felt a smile spread across his face. A real smile, the first of many to come.

-666-

It had been about three weeks since Dean had begun hanging out with his new friends, and everything was going smoothly. He's spent his Saturdays at the record store with Hope, where they studied, did homework, or just talked and listened to music. After, they'd walk around the park or go to the comic book store down the street. She'd agreed to come over to Bobby's that night for pizza and a movie, and Dean was excited.

He was humming while working on a car later that day, when Bobby walked in.

"Dean."

"Yeah?" Said Dean, rolling out from under the car.

"I'm going out for the night. Sam's at his friend's."

"Okay…" Said Dean, sitting up, his brow furrowing, not sure how any of this information (that he already knew) pertained to him in any way.

Bobby sighed, looking extremely uncomfortable, "I've been told that you and Hope… Are…You know… And you'll be all alone, and…"

Dean rolled his eyes, "We're not dating, Bobby." He said, "Well, not exclusively. And if we were," He grinned, wiping his hands on an oil rag, "We sure as hell wouldn't do it _here_ …"

Bobby dragged a hand down his face, letting out a deep breath. "What the hell am I going to do with you?"

"Well, I certainly hope it involves pie." Dean said, bored, getting ready to slide back under the car.

"Dean." Bobby said again, suddenly serious, "Just be careful."

Dean's eyes went wide, the words very unexpected, but still understood, "I will."

"Okay, then. Have some fun. But not too much."

"Alright, Bobby."

"And behave yourselves."

" _Alright_ , Bobby."

"And for christ's sake, boy, take a goddamn shower-"

" _Jesus, Bobby, Alright, alright."_

Bobby chuckled as he walked to his car, driving off.

Dean sighed, standing up and surveying himself- he was filthy. He sighed and went back to the house to shower before Hope showed up.

 **A/N: Okay, I'm really, really sorry that it took like two fucking weeks to update, but I've been trying to keep up with all my classes, and binge watch season 10 so I could watch season 11 air… so, yeah. I've been a bit preoccupied. Also, like, high school. I'm gonna be a freshman soon, and it's freaking me out :(**

… **And lastly, I'm going to try to update more often, and with longer chapters. Thanksgiving break is coming up soon-ish, so hopefully I can get a lot of writing done then, and like pre-write a shitload of chapters and release them periodically when I'm busy.**

 **-PS- I srsly love reviews- they make me want to continue the story :) And thanks to ArtistKurai for reviewing almost every chapter so far (^_^)**


	8. Chapter 8

**A/N: Okay, so I had some extra, unexpected (but still apriciated) time on my hands tonight, so I kind of made another chapter. I hope you like it.**

 **R &R pleeeaasssseeeeee :)**

Dean heard a loud, rapid banging on the door, and he got up to check it.

"I wasn't expecting you for another half-hour, at least." Dean said.

"So formal." Hope rolled her eyes, "You know, I live here, too."

"Part-time."

She laughed, "Yeah, yeah," She flopped down on the couch, "Did you pick a film?"

"Well," He said, rubbing the back of his neck, "I was kind of…"

"Aww, Dean, were you nervous?"

"What?" He said, turning red from his neck to the tips of his ears, "No!"

She rolled her eyes, "Whatever you say." She got up, "I'm gonna make some popcorn. You choose a goddamn movie. Pick a random one if you have to. No porn." She walked by him, grabbing his collar and pulling him down to give him a peck on the nose, which to her amusement, made him turn a slightly deeper shade of red.

Dean sat on the couch as Hope walked into the kitchen, rubbing a hand down his face.

"Butter or Salt?" She called from the kitchen

"Both," He grinned.

"My kinda guy." She said, walking in, "I got two cokes. Pop in the movie."

" _Soda?_ What are we, twelve? No beer?"

"I don't drink."

"Really?"

"Come on Dean, drink your goddamn coke and get over it."

"Whatever." He rolled his eyes, less flustered now, and popped in the Forrest gump tape.

Hope grinned, "This movie is adorable."

"Never seen it." Dean said

"You're kidding." Hope said, looking at him, but Dean just shrugged

"Then shut up and watch- It's starting."

"Okay."

She smiled, and he looked over at her. She looked exhausted. Completely and totally exhausted. Her eyes were red-rimmed and she had dark circles around them like she hadn't slept in days.

Twenty minutes into the movie, she hadn't touched the popcorn and she'd curled up to his side, shivering a little. He adjusted to make them both more comfortable, putting a blanket over them both.

Forty minutes into the movie, and they were both curled up together, not even watching anymore. They were practically spooning on the couch, Dean realized, chuckling.

"Wha's so 'unny?" Hope inquired sleepily

"Nothin'," He replied, equally sleepy.

They fell asleep like that, dean curled around Hope, holding her close. Dean Winchester did not _cuddle_. He'd emphasized that in the past, but this… It felt good. Right. Comfortable. They both drifted off to sleep with a smile on their faces for the first time in years.

 **A/N: Alright, I know this isn't much, but I thought this was kind of cute. It might be as much as two weeks until I can update again, but I'll do my best. R &R please (^_^)**


	9. Chapter 9

**A/N: IM BACK BLITCHES :))))))))))**

 **okay seriously thank you thank you thank you for reading my crap because it actually makes me so happy that there's people who actually read what I write, let alone enjoy it. So, since the last chapter was cute and fluffy, I decided to have some fun and fuck it up a little :))))))))))))))))**

 **-havE FUNNNN *evil cackling***

 **\- alsooooo please review because reasons**

Dean could have slept for days. Weeks. He was out cold. Key word being _was_.

He'd woken up next to Hope, who was sobbing and having something akin to a panic attack, almost in hysterics. He sat up immidiately and held her, rubbing her back until her breathing was steady again.

"I'm sorry." She mumbled, laying her head on her folded arms that were rested on her knees.

"It's okay. Relax." he said gently, "It was just a bad dream."

"Yeah." She croaked.

"Here." He smiled, "You're all sweaty and gross. It's like 1:30 am, why don't you change into one of my shirts? I'll make some hot chocolate?"

"What are we, twelve? Hot chocolate?" She smiled at him weakly, mocking his statement about the coke earlier that night.

"And a half," He replied, giving her a grin.

"Dean."

"Yeah?"

"You know I have clothes here."

"Yeah." He said, giving her a look that said he really hadn't forgotten, "I know."

-666-

Twenty minutes later, Hope was sitting at the kitchen table across from Dean, wearing on of his shirts and a pair of sweatpants.

"We don't have to talk about it if you don't want to." Said Dean, "But it's better if you do."

She looked up at him, meeting his eyes, and he saw the same thing that he saw the first time they had talked; someone who had seen and experienced things that nobody should need to go through. Someone plagued with self-doubt. Someone who had too much depending on them. Someone like himself.

She looked down, staring into her hot chocolate, and Dean kept rubbing her back in soothing circles. He wasn't sure how long they'd stayed like that, but when Hope finally spoke, it had been some time.

"I came over last night because I knew today… I knew I didn't want to be alone. I _couldn't_ be alone." She took a deep breath, "It was four years ago." She said, her voice a hoarse whisper, "To the day, exactly."

"Hope, you don't have to-"

"No, it's okay." She croaked, trying to take a deep breath, her voice quivering, "He was my older brother," She blinked, smiling through the tears, "He was more than that, really. He was my hero- I wanted to be _just like Daryl_ when I grew up. I wanted to listen to his music, I wanted to watch his movies, I wanted to wear that old, ratty leather jacket that smelled like him and those gross barbeque chips he used to love…" Her breath hitched, "He was… He _raised_ me, Dean. He brought me to the movies with his friends and he treated me like one of _them,_ not his dumb sister who had to tag along. He'd shovel the neighborhood driveways with me when it snowed, and then we'd go inside and watch dumb action movies on mute with christmas carols in the background while we drank hot chocolate." She was crying now- tears pouring down her face. She was smiling, though, through the tears. A real, true, big smile.

"When my first boyfriend dumped me, I was crushed, so Daryl brought me out for ice cream and surprised me with some concert tickets. On the way home, the bus driver got lost, and we didn't get home until almost six in the morning. We ended up hopping off the bus and crashing in the park rather than walking home. It was one of the best nights of my life." She laughed a little, "He used to play me his favorite songs on the guitar and teach me the words. He taught me to play, actually. He taught me right from wrong, and the difference between good and bad. He used to tell me about his dreams, and how when he got out of school, we were gonna go away together," Her voice caught, "Just.. Him and me. We were gonna be safe. Free." She wiped her eyes on the shoulder of the shirt she was wearing.

"I remember this one time, I was sitting on the curb, and this kid came over to me… I think I was eight, he must have been eleven or twelve. He started to hit me, _whaling_ on me, and I didn't… I couldn't do anything. Daryl ran over, and he beat that kid shitless.. Really put the fear of god in him, and all his little douchebag friends… He took me home, and I was crying, and he just told me, he said not to worry about anything that people like that did, ever. He said, 'they're like sandpaper rubbing against you, kiddo, and in the end, you come out polished and shiny, and they end up dull and useless'. He was real smart. And he was so, so, good. I swear to god, Dean, there wasn't a bad bone in his goddamn body."

Her face darkened, "And that one time, Dean, that one goddamn night… He was there for me all those years, and I missed one fucking night!" She got up, shaking Dean off her shoulder and began angrily pacing the room, "That one fucking night… That's all it took." She said. Then quieter, "That's all it ever takes."

She rubbed a hand down her face, "That night, dad got drunk. He was always drunk, but it was never so bad. Daryl was going to take me to the cemetery to see Mom, because we went every year. She died," Hope said, almost growling, "when she had me, and Daryl, he never blamed me. He thought it was bad luck. But dad… He told me I _killed_ her. He hated me. Everything about me. The fact that I was alive and breathing while his wife was six feet underground… That was enough to pin the blame on me, I guess." She stared at the table, and she seemed...so hollow. So empty, like the life had drained right out of her.

"Daryl used to tell me all about her, even though Dad never let us say her name. He'd talk about her when Dad wasn't around. He's tell me that mom… That she had this amazing comic book collection that she used to love more than life itself, and how dad sold it when she died. He told me all about her favorite songs, and that she used to sing those to him at night instead of lullabies. He brought me to all her favorite restraunts, and he showed me this spot by the lake that they… That our family used to go on picnics to…" She ran her hands through her hair, "And every year, he used to take me out to see her, and I could talk to her, and tell her everything. Sometimes i would sing. Sometimes I just cried. Daryl always wrote her a note, sealed in a white envelope with her name in black sharpie on the ground. He'd put it down on the ground with a bunch of flowers. White roses, because they were her favorite, he said. Mom wore them in her hair on her and dad's wedding. He said she was always watching us, and that she knew how you felt, and that she always read the letters. One time I asked him why he didn't just talk to her. Wouldn't it just be easier than writing a note? But he said sometimes, you have too much to say, and and sometimes those words like to abandon you when you need them most. So he wrote them down so they couldn't go anywhere.

"He was taking me that night, just like he did every year, and when we came home…" Her voice cracked, and sh let out a choked sob.

"Sshh." Said Dean, biting his lip hard to keep from crying. He could taste blood in his mouth, but he didn't stop. H couldn't cry. Because he needed to be strong. For Hope. "Sshhh, it's okay. I'm here. Just… Let the words come out."

She nodded, "Dad… He.. He was drunk, because he always was, but it was bad this time. Real bad. He always drunk more on the night mum died, but it was never… it had never been this bad. He's always had a little sense left in him, but that night… He drank himself to oblivion. I came home and he just… He started screaming at me, yelling that it was my fault, that I should have died, that I _killed her, and I deserved to die._ I guess Darry just couldn't take it, and he defended me. He stood up to dad. He always did. And Dad hated him for it, for protecting me. And every time Dad screamed at him, told him he was garbage, I tin it killed part of his soul. I was better off, because to me, that was who dad was. But Darry, he knew dad before." She said, and Dean understood. There was only one before and one after. Before the death of her mother. "Him and dad used to be so close, and it killed him. It hurt every time. Worse and worse, until he couldn't take the hurt anymore, I guess.

"So, that was the night. Dad said some things then. Things that _I_ can't forgive him for, and he never even said them to me. Darry ran upstairs and locked the door to his room. I banged on it. Until my knuckles were bleeding, I banged on that door as hard as I could, asking, screaming, _begging_ for him to let me in. For something. But nothing came. I fell asleep against the door that night, and I woke up when it was light again. His door was still locked, and the house was dead silent." She wrapped her hands around her stomach as if she could keep the pain and the grief she felt in her core from eating her alive.

"Dad had passed out on the floor, so I decided that I had to take a walk. When I went outside. That was when I noticed it. His car… It was gone," she said, a new bout of tears coming down her face, "I knew something was wrong, so I called him. Twenty times. He didn't answer. I went back to his room. And I saw it… the window of his room… open. So I climbed the side of the house and got in that way. And it was there on his desk. A note. It said, ' _I'm sorry, Hope. So, so sorry. I love you. Goodbye. -Darry'_ So I called the police, and they looked. They looked, and an hour later, they found him," She was choking back sobs now, "He was… Shit, he was in the goddamn river. He'd driven over the side of a bridge with the car. He'd drowned. Lost control of the vehicle, they said. It was an accident, they said. But it wasn't." She said, finally, _finally_ looking Dean in the eyes, "He killed himself, Dean.

My brother is dead. Because he _killed himself. Because of me._ "

And in that moment, looking into her eyes, Dean saw the difference between them. It was the difference between night and day, dark and light, the difference between bending and breaking. Dean, he had seen things. Things adults had nightmares about , and he _killed_ them. _For a living_. It had scarred him. Made him a bit cynical and jaded, but that was what happened when you were surrounded by death. He'd survived. He's taken it in stride, and though it had been enough to slow him down, the pain, the responsibility, it had never crippled him. He'd bent to accommodate the extra load. He'd survived.

Hope, though, it had broken her. She'd lost everyone; her father to alcohol, and her brother and her mother to death, and it had shattered her somewhere deep inside, somewhere she'd hidden for years. She'd survived, but broken and cold and… Alone. He'd seen her broken, and it hurt like almost nothing he'd felt before. Nothing he's felt in a long, long time.

Then, in that moment, he promised himself that he would fix her. He'd put her back together piece by piece, even if it took him forever and a day to do it. He'd make her whole again.

-666-

Dean looked up at the clock, then at Hope, her eyes red-rimmed and shadowed. "Hey. It's like four. How about we had upstairs? Okay? Bobby's not coming home 'till noon, and he's bringing Sam home with him, so we've got the house to ourselves 'till then." He said softly, his hand still on her back.

She nodded mutely.

"Alright, then. I'm gonna put our mugs in the sink. Bobby can deal with them later." He grinned sadly at her, and she grinned back, but it didn't reach her eyes. Not even a little bit.

Dean put the mugs in the sink and walked back to Hope. "Okay. Let's go." He said, grabbing her hand in his. "Jesus, Hope, your hands are freezing." He said, holding them in both of his and blowing on them to warm them up. She shivered violently once. Twice. "Come on. It'll be warmer under the covers," He promised.

She nods again, still not speaking. She lets him guide her up the stairs by their linked hands, not looking where she's going. When they get to the top, he pulls her into a hug. She stiffens for a moment, but hugs him back fiercely, gripping the back of his shirt in her hands and burying her face in his shoulder.

"Thank you, Dean." She says, "I mean it."

"I know you do." He smiles, rocking them back and forth. "I know you do." He loosens his grip, rubbing her back. "It wasn't your fault, Hope. Your mom or your brother. I don't know specifically what your dad said to make you think that way, but I don't particularly care, because no matter what it was, no matter how _true_ it felt at the time, it was wrong. In every concievable way. It was in no way your fault that your mom died. There are delivery complications all the time." He frowned, "At least, I think. I actually have no idea. Furthermore," He heard her chuckle a little bit, "It's not your fault about your brother." She stiffened, and Dean hoped he hadn't said anything wrong, but he felt encouraged when she didn't immidiately pull away, "You didn't push him to that, Hope. I'm telling you, suicide isn't a sudden, spontaneous thing. He probabally should have bee on medication, or going to therapy or something, but you were like, what? Thirteen? You can't have expected yourself to see the symptoms of depression. That's mostly on your dad, if anyone, okay?"

She nodded, then finally spoke, "If my mom wasn't my fault, why'd he tell me it was? WHy did he do that to me, Dean?"

"Because," He said, "There's a few ways people deal with the loss of someone they love. A lot of time, they just need someone to blame. Now, I'm not saying this is in any way an excuse for what he did, because it isn't. There isn't an excuse at all. But he needed someone to blame, _something_ to make it hurt less, to make it feel like there was a reason, that it just happened. He crossed the line when he tried to pin it on you, though. He was wrong, and still is. So don't listen to him, okay?"

She nodded, taking a deep quivering breath, "Okay. I promise."

"Good." He smiled, opening the door to his room, pulling her in.

She blushed, "Dean, are you-"

"Ssh, relax. You're freezing, and I don't wanna have to take care of your sick ass when you catch the flu." He said, plopping down on the bed.

"Whatever." She said, climbing into the bed, too. It was different when they were on the couch, she decided. This felt more… Intimate, somehow. He stayed a respectful distance away, until she shivered once and sneezed.

He scooted closer and wrapped his arms around her, warming her up instantly. She tensed at first, but relaxed in a moment. "Thank you." She sighed, closing her eyes. "Thank you Dean."

He let out a deep breath as her breathing evened out. "Goodnight, Hope."

She might have replied, but she was too far gone.

 **A/N: I'm sorry *cri* Okay… I hope you guys like this chapter… I'm really hoping to get some writing done during November break, 'cause it's coming soon… R &R pleasseeeeeeeeee**


	10. Chapter 10

**A/N: Okay, I get that the last chapter was kind of brutal… And this one might not be much better… I'm sorry, I really am, but at the same time I'm not. Anyway, have fun :) R &R please :)**

Hope woke up around eight thirty the next morning, alone in the bed. She wasn't sure whether she was disappointed or relieved that Dean wasn't there. She got up silently, padding to her room in search of some clean clothes and a shower. It was almost a half hour later when she walked downstairs, her hair still damp, dressed in her black jeans and a plain black t-shirt under her leather jacket.

She walked into the kitchen, looking at Dean warily when he turned to her and smiled, pouring her a cup of coffee and then going back to flipping some pancakes and cooking bacon. "Happy Birthday." He said, smiling at her.

She smiled hesitantly, sitting at the table. He walked by a minute later, his arms full of food. It smelled great. Hope's stomach grumbled, but she didn't eat, even when Dean sat down and looked at her expectantly. "Oh come on, Hope, my cooking isn't _that_ bad."

"No, Dean-" She picked at the table cloth- "Today… I was wondering if, because, you know…"

"Yeah." He said softly, "I will. I'll come. We can stay as long as you want."

She smiled a little. Real, this time. Dean met her gaze, looking into her eyes. "Good. Thank you."

"Don't mention it." He said, grinning. "Now, eat, 'cause I got a long day planned."

-666-

After they'd eaten, Dean had insisted that he wash the dishes because it was her birthday. "Just chill, okay? I'll get ready, and then we can go."

"Okay." She said, going upstairs slowly. She knew exactly what she was going to do.

She headed upstairs, walking past Dean's room and into her own. She sighed as she turned the light on and sat at her desk. She hadn't been here in almost two weeks. She got out a piece of paper and an old stack of envelopes that she'd taken from Darry's room before she left.

She grabbed a black pen, just like she had so many years before, but unlike before, this time she knew exactly what she was going to write.

-666-

A half hour later, both of them stood in the middle of a field, littered with trees, gravestones everywhere. Hope walked mechanically, clutching a white, unmarked, sealed letter in her hand. Her eyes looked glazed, and she was taking short, shallow breaths.

Dean, on impulse, reacher between them and grabbed her free hand in his. It was freezing cold.

Hope stopped under a huge, winding oak tree that looked older than time. She swallowed, clenching her jaw, and dropped to her knees in front of the grave stone underneath it. "Hey, Mom." She croaked, tears falling from her eyes.

Dean kneeled next to her, still holding her hand. He wrapped his arm around her shoulder, pulling her close. He felt the cold dew from the morning seeping through his jeans and soaking his knees, but he didn't care. All he cared about was Hope, and holding her close.

"I'm- I'm so sorry, mom. I am." Hope said, her voice cracking. "You know… I used to imagine you. What you'd be like… What you'd say to me, what my life would be like with you in it. How much _better_ it would be." She clutched the envelope tighter, "I never knew you, and you never knew me, but I love you. I love you and I miss you, and I hope you're somewhere, watching me. And I hope you love me. That's all I ever wanted." Hope croaked, wrapping her arms around her stomach as her grief hit her full-force. "And Darry…" She gasped, sobbing, "He loved you so, so, much, mom. So much…"

Dean hugged her tighter, pulled her closer, as if he could keep her grief from shattering her entirely.

Hope put the envelope on the ground with a shaky hand, "Goodbye, mom."

Dean sat there, holding her. Letting her cry on him for as long as she needed. And she did; she cried for herself, because she had lost everyone she had ever loved. She cried for her mother, who had died for her. She cried for Darry, her brother who had sacrificed everything for her, until he had nothing left to give. She cried for her father, the man he used to be. She cried until there were no tears left. And then she sat there, shaking in his arms, wrapping herself in his warmth until she forgot the world entirely.

 **A/N: Okay… this was pathetically short, but I literally have no time on my hands. November break is coming up, and I'll write a shit ton then, I promise! R &R pleassssseeeeeeee :)**

 **-Also, I actually really love reading your reviews. They make me sooo happy :) I hope you guys are enjoying the story**


	11. Chapter 11

**I'm so sorry it took me so long to update this story, but I was so busy over the break, and then I got sick, and then I had a shitload of makeup homework, and then I had a shitload of** ** _regular_** **homework and then there was Field Hockey and Cross country, and Basketball just started (and I play for my school aND the town so thats 2x the stress. yAy) and I hurt my knee so I need to do physical therapy and jus t**

 **ASDFGHJKL**

 **AnYwHoOoOo... I'm sorry it took so long, but I'm posting the next chapter tonight right after this. I wrote this in like twenty minutes, and it's kind of rushed, plus I have, like, case of writer's block. So, I'm not even sure what to do. I plan to draw, eat my feelings and blog on the cesspool of my obsessions that is now my Tumblr. Hopefully that helps...**

 **:/**

 **Anyway, Ya'll have a nice day... I might write a Solangelo Xmas fic to help me get over this block. What do you guys think? Anyway, thank you for putting up with me, but I'll try to write what I can. I'm sorry.**

 **-Elizabeth :3**


	12. Chapter 12

**A/N: Oh, dear lord, would you** _ **look at that**_ **! I finally got off my lazy ass and wrote. Hopefully this chapter will be longer. And less sappy. But maybe not… We'll just have to see…**

 **-please r &r-**

Hope sighed a little, resting her head against the glass of the Impala's window, utterly exhausted.

"Anything in particular you want to do today?"

"No."

"Okay."

And so they drove in silence. Hope slowly nodded off to sleep to the dull roar of the Impala's engine and Dean's humming. It was one of the most peaceful sleeps she's fallen into in a long time.

-666-

"What time is it?" Hope asked groggily, just waking up as the impala ground to a stop.

"Late thirty," said Dean, matter-of-factly, glancing at his watch

"Seriously, smart-ass."

"Like, ten."

" _What?_ " Hope said, "We've been out all day?"

"Mm-hmm." Said Dean, absentmindedly

"How long did I _sleep_?"

"Like five hours." It was then that she saw the circles under his eyes

"And what have _you_ been doing?"

"Stuff." At her suspicious look, he said, "Here, look. It's your birthday. I figured we might as well do _something._ "

"Something like what?"

"I'll show you. C'mon."

"Okay…" She got out of the car slowly, following Dean. They were in the middle of a field that Hope recognized as the same place he'd taken her when they'd first met. It seemed like months ago, though it had really been only been a few weeks.

He swallowed nervously when her eyes landed on the blanket that was spread out on the ground, and on the hot chocolate mugs and beer.

She looked at him, and for the first time that day, she smiled. "Thank you, Dean."

They walked over to the blanket, and she sat down next to Dean, sighing a little. "You know," said Dean, "You never got to ask me your ten questions."

Hope laughed, propping herself up on her elbows and looking up at the sky. "Well, Dean Winchester, I'm here right now, and so are you, so I guess this is my chance."  
"I guess it is." He replied, grinning.

She sighed, "Okay, then. Number one, then." She looked up at the sky. "Hmmm. Favorite song?"

"I dunno." He scratched his head, "I'm partial to Metallica."

Hope smiled, "Me too. Two, favorite book?"

Dean shrugged. "I don't really read."

Hope rolled her eyes, "Everyone reads."

"Not me."

"Liar."

"Okay, Fine, _fine_." He sighed, "Um… I like A Tale Of Two Citie, I guess. I mean, Dickens is really great, I just wish he wasn't so wordy, you know?"

"Yeah." Hope chuckled. "Okay, three, how about… Movie?"

"... I guess I liked 'It's A Wonderful Life,'" He said, shrugging, "But, Romeo and Juliet was great," He turned to her with a shit-eating grin, "You know, that one with Leo DiCaprio and Claire Danes? Damn, that girl's hot."

Hope smacked him on the chest, "Shut up." She rolled her eyes, grinning in spite of herself. "Four." She frowned, "Ever been in love?"

He looked over at her, and answered honestly, "No."

"All those girls, and never one of them? You never fell for anyone?"

He sighed, "Once," He closed his eyes, "I was sixteen. Her dad owned the local diner."

"But it didn't last?"

"It doesn't matter," He said, shrugging, "She was available, and I was just her bad-boy fixation for the week."

"Whatever you say." She rolled her eyes

"What's it's it like?"

"What's what like?"

"Being in love." Dean said, finishing off his third beer.

She looked over at him, frowning a little, "You're drunk."

"Am not."

"Count to twenty."

"One, two, three, four, six…" Dean said, a look of deep concentration on his face

She rolled her eyes, "We're going home."

"But I don't wana-"

"Dean Winchester, you're coming with me, so help me god-"

"Fine." Dean pouted.

Hope just rolled her eyes, "Whatever. Pout like the petulant child you truly are, but I'm driving."

" _Whyyy_?"

"Because you're drunk, Dean." She winked at him, " _And-_ " she grinned- "It's my birthday."

Dean reluctantly got in the shotgun side, leaving Hope to throw the remnants of their picnic into the trunk.

By the time she got into the car, Dean's eyes were closed and his head was rested against the window, which made Hope think he was asleep. She was startled when, ten minutes into their ride, he mumbled, "You never told me."

"Told you what?"

"Told me about being in love… Being happy."

Hope bit her lip and gripped the steering wheel tighter. "You're drunk, Dean. Just go to sleep."

"I will. But you have to tell me first."

She rolled her eyes at him, grinning a little. _You're even more stubborn when you're drunk,_ she thought, grinning at him. "Fine." She said. "When it happened… When Darry… Well, I thought I'd never be happy again. I thought that the abcess he left wouldn't ever fill, you know?" She sighed, "When I met Zack, I hated him like you would not believe. I guess that just made him try harder in the end. It took awhile, but I… He didn't leave, even when it got bad. He stayed with me, and I learned to trust someone. Because I had to. Being alone was breaking me from the inside, and he was there to make it better. And he did. For the longest time, he did. And when I was with him… When I was with him, it was like those snow days I used to spend with Darry, drinking hot chocolate and having snowball fights, and it was like snuggling up on a rainy day with a blanket and a good book. It was like those ooey, gooey fresh-out-of-the-oven chocolate chip cookies that only come homemade. It was like all the good things in life, every one of those _silver linings_ people talk about, all at once. It was the best thing in the world, Dean. And I loved every second of it. I didn't want to let it go, which is why it hurt so bad when I finally did."

She didn't know she was crying until she felt a gentle, calloused hand on her cheek, wiping off her tears. Dean scooted across the seat and wrapped his arm around her waist, pulling her close. "I'm sorry." She said

"No." Said Dean, "Don't you ever, ever be sorry for loving someone, okay? You promise?"

"Yeah. Yeah, Dean, I promise."

 **That's all folks!**

 **-If you have an idea, plz review or PM me, bc I just rly need help brainstorming...**


	13. Chapter 13

**A/N: Okay. Update. Pretty much a filler chapter because I've gone imaginitively bankrupt. halp.**

They lapsed into a comfortable silence, Hope realizing Dean was asleep as he relaxed and his breathing evened out.

She sighed, looking at Dean's sleeping face, his head leaning against the windshield, still holding her hand in his. He looked younger when he was sleeping… Like he didn't have the weight of the world on his shoulders. Like he hadn't had to grow up before his time. Like he was still a kid.

She bit her lip, smiling, he was going to be _so_ hungover was a monday, so thay had school. Hope almost giggled, that was going to be fun.

Hopefully Bobby wouldn't be too pissed.

Oh, well.

Hope rolled down the window and sighed as she felt the cool night air blowing in her face.

"Hope?"

"Dean," She said, looking at him, "I thought you fell asleep."

"Nah. I was just-" He yawned- "Resting my eyes."

"Right." She turned the car on to Bobby's drive, "Well, you better not be hungover tomorrow. We have school."

Dean groaned, "I'll just cut."

"Oh no you _won't_." She said

He looked over at her, "You wouldn't."

She grinned, "Wouldn't _what,_ Dean?"

"Snitch."

She just winked at him, "You don't know that." She got out of the car, walking to the door and tossing Dean the keys.

"Hopeeee." He said, "Pleeeaaassseee."

"Please what?" Said Bobby, startling them both.

Hope was the first to collect herself. "He doesn't want me to snitch on him for eating three _kng size_ chocolate bars." Hope lied easily

Bobby rolled his eyes, "Really Dean?"

Dean shrugged

"Well, I can't say I expected different from ya idjits." He ruffled Dean's hair, "Don't be comin' home so late. Samy was worried sick."

"You didn't give a damn, of course." Dean said, grinning

"Shut up and go to bed."

"Night Bobby," She said, already halfway upstairs.

Dean caught her arm before she walked into her room, pulling her into a tight hug.

"Happy Birthday."

She wrapped her arms around him, "Thank you."

He pulled back after a few moments and leaned down to kiss her on the forehead, "Goodnight."

"Goodnight, Dean," She smiled, walking into her room and closing the door behind her.

-666-

Hope was laying in her bed, running the day through her head. It had been a great day, but she was glad to be home.

 _Home,_ Hope thought, _haven't had one of those in a long time._

People say home is where the heart is. Hope wasn't sure if she had much of a heart left that wasn't broken, but she knew that if she _did_ , it would be at Bobby's place, in the garage with Dean, or in the kitchen, or curled up on her bed watching a movie. She wasn't sure when she started thinking of the place as her _home,_ and the bed as _hers_ , but it was, and she was sure of it. Because that beat to hell old auto shop with the '67 Impala parked outside, where everything smelled like pine, alcohol, leather, and motor oil, that was where her heart was. That was her home.

 **A/N: Okay, this is the last chapter like this, I swear. It's starting to piss me off. I need to get the fuC K over my writer's block and write something good... but :/**

 **I'm writing a cute high school au thing and a coffee shop au (both destiel) and I might write a solangelo au (?) or just a regular solangelo fic, but idk. (if you have any suggestions for one-shots, please tell me, bc I need to get over this block)**

 **So, yeah. I'm sorry, this is just the woRST block I've ever had, and it goes beyond writing, too. It's like... art block, writer's block, and jus**

 **frack.**

 **But I digress. Basically, I hope this was an okay chapter. (besides being terribly short) Please R &R :)**

 **-Elizabeth :3**


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